by Erin Osborne
“What was said?” Capone asks, his voice laced with anger.
“I, um, I don’t remember,” I lie.
“Axel?” he asks.
“They were talkin’ about how you were gonna have a baby with NeNe. And how she plans on usin’ the baby to become your ol’ lady. She’s not gonna let you see it unless she’s yours,” Axel answers, throwing a scathing look at the house bunnies still sitting in their seats.
“I see,” Capone says before turning and leaving the clubhouse.
I hear him gun his motorcycle before it roars away from the parking lot. He’s pissed and it doesn’t take a genius to realize that. Not only were these house bunnies talking about his personal business, he’s going to have to deal with NeNe about the baby and how she plans on using him. I’m not sure what he’s going to do, but I’ll be his friend through the whole thing. If he’ll let me.
It will hurt like hell to watch him with a baby that’s not mine, but I think Capone will make a good dad. He’s got a loving, caring streak in him not many people see. I believe he’ll give his entire heart to his child and they will know without a doubt how loved they are by him.
“Let’s get this done. He’ll be okay, Holls. Just give him time,” Satan tells me.
“There’s nothing to give him time for. We’re friends and nothing more,” I respond.
I turn my attention toward all the receipts scattered on the table and begin stacking them in piles. They need to be sorted by business and week of the month. Then I’ll go through and fill out all new ledgers for them. I don’t want anyone to know what I’m doing and Satan can handle any questions that come up while we’re working here in the clubhouse. For now, I just want to get this started and fill out the new ledgers so we can figure out exactly how much money has been taken and from what businesses.
Chapter Eleven
Capone
TODAY IS THE day the house bunnies are going to come clean about who poked the holes in the fucking condoms. I’m going to assume NeNe was part of it since she’s the only one pregnant so far. We don’t know if any other house bunnies are pregnant, but Raine will make sure they all get tested.
Raine was pissed when we brought her in to let her know what was found. Not only were my condoms fucked with, but also Torch’s, Grinder’s, Gunner’s, and Pyro’s. They’re hitting all the officers of the club. Wrath and the rest of the guys all tossed their condoms and took the new ones. They’ll all be in attendance at today’s meeting with the house bunnies though.
Taking a quick shower, I get ready to head downstairs. Raine and Satan will be here soon to take care of business. Dressing in a black tee-shirt, jeans, my cut, and boots, I brush my hair and tie a bandana around my head to keep it out of my way. Before I can leave the room, there’s a knock at my door.
Flinging it open, I see NeNe standing there. She’s dressed as scantily as ever in a bra and a pair of shorts small enough to see the curve of her ass cheeks without her bending over. Make-up is caked on her face and her hair is a rat’s nest. It looks as if she hasn’t showered or brushed her hair in days.
“What do you want?” I growl out.
“Capone, don’t be like that. I’ve been sick because of the pregnancy. You need to take care of me,” she whines.
“I don’t have to do shit for you. The only thing I’m goin’ to do is pay for your medical bills until I know for sure this baby is mine or not. Then we’ll go from there,” I tell her. “Oh, and until then, you won’t be fuckin’ anyone else. Even if Raine somehow manages to take you off probation, but I don’t see that happenin’ anytime soon.”
“You’re going to take care of me or you won’t have to worry about the baby being yours. I’ll have a damn abortion,” she taunts.
“NeNe, get the fuck out of my sight. You should be down in the common room with the rest of the bunnies. You know there’s a meetin’ and your ass belongs down there, not up here botherin’ me,” I growl in frustration and anger. “And don’t you ever threaten me with abortin’ the baby. Do you fuckin’ understand me?”
“Capone . . . ” she begins before I cut her off.
“Know your fuckin’ place and get in the common room. Now!” I yell.
NeNe leaves my room and I take a few minutes to calm down. Gunner walks from his room and gives me a sympathetic look. They all know I’ve been miserable since NeNe dropped the bombshell of the baby. Gunner, Satan, and Wrath know the effort I’ve put in to making sure I was ready for Hollie. That I’m going to do whatever I have to do in order to make her mine. Including not fucking anyone.
“Let’s go, man. We’ll get this shit sorted out and move on,” he says, walking downstairs with me after we both lock our doors.
Walking into the common room, I see the girls all sitting at a table together. Raine and Satan are standing directly in front of them while the rest of us spread out around the room. The house bunnies look around the room, some of them with fear in their eyes while others look around in defiance. Rose is the only one who looks confused as hell. This tells me all I need to know.
“Alright, skanks. First of all, you all know NeNe is on probation until further notice. However, after recent events have come to light, her situation is about to change. And so are several of yours. You all know I have random drug testing and pregnancy tests done. Today, you’re all going to take another pregnancy test. Stand the fuck up and get in the bathroom,” Raine yells out.
All the women move except for NeNe. She sits in her chair thinking she’s exempt from the testing because she provided her own test. I don’t fucking think so.
“NeNe, you fucking heard me. You’re not getting out of this because you took your own damn test. Get the fuck in there,” Raine says, her voice deadly quiet.
She grumbles but gets up from the table and makes her way to the bathroom. Raine stands in the open doorway while each woman goes in and pees on a stick. They set them on the counter where Raine tells them to and walk back to the table. Most of them look nervous as fuck. NeNe walks back out and looks smug as she stares me down.
Anger radiates from me. I must make a move because Torch and Gunner both put a hand on my shoulder as if to hold me in place. I’m not gonna hurt the skank, but I’m not going to have her play me for a fool either. NeNe is gonna learn this is going to go my way and my way only. She doesn’t have shit on me and if she wants to play hardball, I’ll play. She’ll lose and I’ll be rid of her.
Raine waits for the results of the tests before she walks back out. She’s drying her hands off with a paper towel as she comes to stand in front of the table.
“Looks like NeNe is the only one pregnant. What I want to know is whose idea it was to poke holes in the condoms of the officers of the club?” she asks, staring down at the women before her.
Rose gasps in shock as NeNe checks her nails like she’s bored as fuck with the entire meeting. She looks like she’d rather be anywhere else except for here and I know it’s pissing Raine off even more to be shown such blatant disrespect. NeNe’s gonna get her ass handed to her. The only thing saving her ass is her being pregnant.
Raine slams her hand down on the table, startling most of the house bunnies.
“I’m not fucking playing games with you. Tell me, or you’re all out on your fucking asses. I won’t give a shit if you’ve had anything to do with this or not,” she yells.
“It was NeNe’s idea. She wanted to be Capone’s ol’ lady so she came up with the plan to poke holes in the condoms. Then she told the rest of us she’d let you know the shit we were doing if we didn’t go along with her plan. The only one who didn’t know is Rose. NeNe doesn’t like or trust her,” Carly answers.
“So you all betrayed the club for a dumb skank who thinks she deserves a man like Capone. NeNe, you’re nothing but a fucking slut who will spread your legs for any man here. Now I see why you said what you did to my sister. However, you’re no longer a part of the Blazing Outlaws MC. You’ve shown how dishonest and shady you are, things no o
ne in the club wants around. You all know your place here and instead chose to follow a bitch. So, Rose, you’ll be the only one allowed to be here. I’m working on bringing in some new girls. And I’ll be around to help you,” Raine says. “NeNe, you’re only staying here at the clubhouse because of the baby. You’re no longer a house bunny. You won’t get any of the perks, including the food the men get, fucking them, or anything else. You’ll have to figure out how you’re going to earn money to support yourself.”
“You can’t fucking do this! You’re nothing more than a bitch who’s been around the club less than a year,” NeNe yells out. “Capone, you better tell this fucking bitch.”
“I’m not tellin’ Raine anythin’. You heard what she said. Oh, and I want someone on her at all times. She’s already threatenin’ to abort the baby if I don’t bend to her will,” I say.
Raine looks at me and I watch as her face is transformed. She was angry before, but now rage like I’ve never seen fills her eyes and shows on her face with the way it contorts and scrunches up.
“How dare you use an innocent baby who’s not even born yet? Capone will take you to your appointments. The first one is scheduled for tomorrow. You guys can figure out who’s watching over her. Rose, I’ll meet with you separately to go over things. I’m going to bring Kelly back here. I’ve already talked to her and she’s ready to come home. Between the three of us, we’ll get some more girls in here,” Raine says. “I suggest you all get your shit and get the fuck out of here. You have thirty minutes to be gone or you won’t be taking anything with you.”
Shane and Steve follow the girls back to the rooms they share. They’ll watch over the girls to make sure they don’t take anything that’s not theirs. Anything with club colors will be left behind. These bitches are out bad and no one will have anything to do with them from here on out.
NeNe sits at the table looking as if she’s won the lottery. I don’t know what the hell she’s so happy about— she’s basically become a prisoner here. No one will touch her or talk to her. She’ll be a pariah in the clubhouse. And everyone will know about it. Even friends, associates, and other clubs that stop by while she’s still here.
“I’m gonna pull Axel from Hollie’s. He can watch over the bitch until we get everythin’ else sorted out,” Satan says. “Hollie’ll be okay for a few hours on her own. I know she’s busy workin’ on shit and we’ll make sure someone else shows up if it’s goin’ to take longer.”
“I’ll head over there,” Wrath speaks up. “I can send Axel back and I’ll hang out for a while.”
“Okay. Keep your distance,” Satan reminds him.
“I know. Just friends,” he says, looking directly at me. “Capone knows how I feel, but I’m givin’ him a chance to redeem himself.”
Wrath leaves the clubhouse and Raine walks NeNe back to the room she’ll be staying in. It’s not the one reserved for house bunnies. This one actually has a lock on the outside of the door so she can be locked in at night. Yes, it might seem harsh, but we can’t trust her right now. So, until we have all the answers, she’s going to be treated no better than an enemy of the club. I don’t feel sorry for her at all.
“You okay?” Satan asks me.
“No, I’m not. I don’t like what the fuck is goin’ on here. Now, I’m stuck with this bitch until I know if the baby’s mine or not. How the fuck would you feel?” I ask, anger lacing my voice.
“Take care of it then. Make sure she’s taken care of while she’s here. When you can get the test done, have it done. I know they can do that shit while she’s still pregnant. If she’s still here, you can figure out what to do from there. For now, make sure she has what she needs to eat and anything the doctor wants her to have. You keep track of the appointments and we’ll work around them for runs and shit,” he tells me. “You also need to talk to Hollie about this. She’s upset and I know she really won’t come around here now.”
“I know. This is so fucked up. How did we let shit get so out of control?” I ask my President and friend.
“I don’t know. We won’t make the same mistake twice though.”
“I’m gonna go to Blazin’ Babes and see what’s goin’ on there. Haven’t been there like I should be. I’ll probably do an order while I’m there and get things organized,” I tell Satan. “I’ll be around later. Let me know if she gives anyone any problems.”
As I make my way out, I see Axel as he’s pulling back into the clubhouse. I hand over a wad of cash and ask him to take Rose to make sure the bitch has food to eat since she’s not allowed to eat our food anymore. And I want her to have a mini fridge in the room so she can keep her food in there away from ours. I want her as separated as possible. I don’t know if it’s going to work, but I don’t want to see her.
Chapter Twelve
Hollie
SINCE MEETING CLAY in the diner we’ve been texting back and forth every day. Sometimes we talk about nothing while other times we talk about our lives. I’ve left out the part of being kidnapped and all that happened while I was there. And my association with the club. It’s none of his business honestly. The only ones who need to know are the ones I count as family. Clay is just a man I may be talking to.
I’m working on the new ledgers when I get a message. Looking at my phone, I see it’s from Clay.
Clay: How’s your day going?
Me: I’m okay. How are you?
Setting the phone back down, I turn my attention back toward the paperwork in front of me. It’s not long before I get another message.
Clay: I’m doing good. Would you like to go to dinner tomorrow night?
I set my phone down again. I’m not sure if I want to go out to dinner with Clay. He’s nice to talk to and seems like a good guy. My mind’s been so set on being with Capone that I’m not sure if I want to go out with anyone else. So, I don’t respond right now.
I work on the ledger for Outlaw Den and find more discrepancies once I put in all the information and compare the two ledgers. Making notes on the old ledger, I mark out exactly where I’m finding the differences in money coming in and going out. choosing a highlighter, I mark the areas in the old ledger so the new one isn’t marked up. The guys who need to know will know what I’m doing while the rest are told what Satan decides to tell them.
I’m ready to take a break when I hear my sister in the living room. She’s calling out my name, so I put the ledgers to the side and close the door behind me. I won’t let anyone know what I’m doing or what Satan has found out. If he wants my sister to know, he can let her know what’s going on.
“Raine, what are you doing here?” I ask, walking into the living room.
“Oh, I just came from the clubhouse. All the house bunnies except for Rose are gone. Well, NeNe is still there, but she’s not a house bunny anymore. She’s only there because of the situation,” my sister tells me.
“I see. What happened? If you can tell me,” I ask, not knowing if I’m allowed to know.
“Well, Capone discovered his condoms had been tampered with. Holes were poked in them. Once the other guys found out, they went through their stashes. Five guys in total had the same thing happen to them. When I was told, I pulled the girls in for pregnancy tests and to find out what’s going on. NeNe basically black mailed them all into going along with the idea. That way the guys would be trapped into making them their ol’ ladies. It’s not gonna happen, but they thought it would work,” Raine tells me.
I’m speechless. I don’t know what the hell there is to even say to that. It looks as though NeNe got her wish and is having Capone’s baby. A way to tie him to her for the rest of their lives. I’m just glad no one else is pregnant. Raine didn’t say they weren’t, but know how to read between the lines of what my sister says.
“So what have you been up to?” she asks, sitting on the couch.
“Working. And trying to figure out what I want to do to the living room. I’m going to rearrange it, but I haven’t figured out what I want to do ju
st yet,” I answer.
“Oh. Why are you rearranging everything?”
“So it’s just mine. When we moved in, it was our home. With you living with Satan and the kids now, I want the place to feel like it’s just mine. Does that sound selfish?” I ask her.
“Not at all. Do you and worry about you,” my sister tells me.
“Well, I’ve kind of been talking to someone. We met at the diner a few days ago. Been texting back and forth since then. Today he asked me if I want to go to dinner tomorrow.”
“What did you tell him?” she asks, her curiosity piqued.
“I didn’t answer him. I’m not sure what I want to do,” I tell her honestly.
“Why not?” she asks.
“I don’t know. I just don’t think he’s what I’m looking for. He’s nice and all, but . . . ” I leave the words hanging in the air.
“I know. There’s nothing I can tell you here,” she answers. “He’s going to have his hands full with everything going on with NeNe and the baby. I know he wants a paternity test done, but if the baby is his, his life is going to change.”
“You don’t think I know that? I know he’s going to be going through a lot. He’s tied to NeNe for the rest of their lives. The baby will take up any of his free time and I know Capone is going to make a wonderful dad,” I say.
“But?” she asks.
“I just thought it would be me he had kids with. In the recess of my mind, I pictured a little boy looking just like him and a little girl who looked like me. Stupid as hell, I know. I can’t help it though. It’s what was in the back of my mind. I want him more than I’ve ever wanted anyone in my life. But, I won’t settle for someone who’s going to fuck around and shit like that,” I tell Raine.
“Holls, be careful. I think you should give this guy a chance and see what happens. You never know. He may be the guy you’re looking for,” Raine tells me.
“I’ll think about it,” I tell her. “Now, I’m gonna make lunch. Are you staying here for it?”
