by Harley Wylde
“I think this bathroom is the size of the bedroom at the house we have now,” I said.
“No, I think it’s bigger.” Fox came up behind me, curling his arm around my waist. “Does this mean you like the house?”
I nodded. “But do we really need all this room?”
“Well, I thought we could make one of the downstairs rooms a play area for any kids we have. The other can be a guest room for your dad when he visits. That leaves three bedrooms to fill with children. If we’re blessed with that many, or if you even want more than one. We can talk about it later.”
“I didn’t see a linen closet.”
“There’s enough room in the laundry for me to add some rolling storage carts or something under that counter. Or you could get decorative bins to put there. Hell, I could rip out the counter and put in a set of cabinets to match the ones over the washer and dryer.”
He better not touch that counter. I liked the idea of not having to haul a basket of clean clothes to the bedroom, then dump it on the bed to fold everything.
“We don’t even have enough furniture for this much space.”
He kissed the side of my neck. “We can buy new things. Or leave the rooms up here empty for now. When you’re ready to set up a nursery, you let me know which room to use and what color you want it painted. No reason to rush out and buy everything right away. We can take our time.”
I turned in his embrace and faced him. “What about the cost?”
He smiled. “It’s a perk of being in the club and being the VP. None of the patched members pay for the homes here. The club earns money off various things. Typically, whoever helps with a certain job gets a cut. When we decided to build houses here, everyone agreed a percentage of any incoming funds would be earmarked for the compound.”
“So we don’t have to buy it or pay rent?” I asked.
“Nope. It’s ours if you want it to be.” He rubbed my back. “The house we have now will be up for grabs if another brother wants it, or it will sit empty until someone else gets patched in.”
I nodded, thinking it was too good to be true. The home was beautiful. More gorgeous than anything I’d ever lived in before, even when I still stayed with my mom. And it could be ours? I almost wanted to pinch myself, certain I must be dreaming.
“So, do I tell Spider we want to move in?” he asked.
“I want it,” I said.
“Then I’ll make arrangements to have us moved in by end of the day. You and I are going to make ourselves scarce, and I’ll have two Prospects box up everything and start moving stuff. We can start with a celebratory lunch and go from there.”
He pressed a kiss to the side of my neck, and I leaned into him. Everything seemed to be happening so fast. I kept thinking I must still be at Balmoral, doped up on drugs and locked in a dreamlike state. None of this could be real, could it?
Fox led me back outside and helped me into the truck, then he made some calls on the way to the front gate. He rolled down his window and handed a set of keys to the guy standing guard. I hadn’t had a chance to meet everyone, and I didn’t know who he was. He seemed nice enough, and even gave me a little wave as Fox pulled out of the compound.
“Is this a date?” I asked.
Fox glanced at me before focusing on the road again. “Do you want it to be?”
Did I? I couldn’t remember the last time I went out with someone in a date-like capacity. Certainly before the incident. “I think I would. We haven’t really been on one yet, even though you say I’m yours and you’re mine.”
He pulled over onto the shoulder and turned toward me. “I didn’t even think to ask. Do you want a ring?”
“Ring?” My brow furrowed as I tried to figure out what he meant.
“Wedding ring.” He held up his left hand. “I’ll wear one if you want me to. I’m having a property cut made for you, or rather Luciana is. It will look like the one she had on today, except the back of yours will say Property of Fox.”
I thought about it a moment, mulling the idea over. “A ring might keep men away from me. I don’t like it when strange men come up and talk to me. It usually doesn’t end well.”
Fox reached over and took my hand. “Sweetheart, no one is going to hurt you anymore. I won’t let them. Anyone even thinks of touching you, and I will gladly rip out their spines.”
I blinked at him, and the rather vivid picture he painted. Perhaps his urge to commit violence should have scared me, but since he wanted to hurt people on my behalf, I felt oddly special. Cared for. Maybe even… loved? No, he couldn’t love me. He didn’t know me well enough for that. In fact, there was a chance he’d never love me, but he treated me well.
He pulled the truck back onto the road. “We’ll stop for rings before we go eat. Do you want to officially be Mrs. Josh Turner?”
“You mean actually get married?”
He made a humming sound. “I was thinking more along the lines of asking Surge to hack into the county clerk’s office and make it look like we got married. The paper trail would show we’re officially husband and wife, but without all the hassle involved with a wedding. Unless you want one.”
Did I? The thought of standing in front of a bunch of people, all of them staring as I married Fox, made my stomach churn. No. Nope, I definitely didn’t want to get married. Not if it meant having a wedding ceremony. But having someone marry us without all that other stuff? I would be okay with that.
“Can you ask Surge to do it?” I asked.
Fox handed me his phone. “Can you pull his name up in the contacts and put the call on speaker?”
“It’s locked,” I said, staring at the Enter your Pin screen.
“Six. Nine. Eight. Three.”
I entered the numbers, wondering what they meant. Instead of asking, I scrolled through his contacts and found the name Surge. I connected the call and put it on speaker like he’d asked.
“I’m a bit busy, Fox,” Surge said instead of using the customary hello.
“I don’t even want to know,” Fox said, as music blasted in the background through the small phone speaker. “Raven wants to be my wife. Can you take care of it?”
“Yeah. Not right this minute, but I will later tonight. By morning she’ll legally -- or illegally -- be yours. Anything else?”
“That’s it. Have fun with whatever you’re doing,” Fox said and nodded for me to end the call.
I handed the phone back to him and he shoved it into his pocket. When he pulled up in front of a small jewelry store, my palms started to sweat. Diamonds sparkled in the front windows. I hadn’t realized he’d meant he would buy me a ring at a place like this one. I’d thought we’d get cheap bands somewhere.
Fox got out of the truck, and I had no choice but to follow. When we entered the shop, the lights flickered off all the gemstones in the cases. I couldn’t remember a time I’d felt so underdressed. In my shorts and tee, I felt better suited to the discount store than an upscale jewelry store. The shop might be small, but there had to be a fortune in jewelry in the glass cases.
“Come on, beautiful. Let’s get wedding bands.”
Chapter Twelve
Fox
I’d thought women loved jewelry, the flashier the better. Except Raven. Not my sweet, beautiful, broken little Raven. She’d looked at the cheapest plain bands she could find. It had taken quite a bit of arguing to get her to accept a white gold band with four diamonds embedded in a scattered pattern across the top. Even then, she’d balked at the cost.
I’d opted for the plain matching white gold band. After I’d paid, we’d worn them out of the shop. Since I knew Spider, Rocket, and Slider had all frequented the shop before to buy their women special trinkets, I’d known the proprietor wouldn’t have a fit over a biker walking through his door. The man knew we could afford whatever we selected, and we wouldn’t try to rob him.
Raven kept running her thumb over her band as she stared off into space. She hadn’t said much in the truck on the w
ay to the restaurant, and I’d been parked, waiting for her to acknowledge we weren’t moving, for at least fifteen minutes.
“Honey, you okay?” I asked.
She looked at me, her face paler than usual. “It was too much money.”
I unfastened her seat belt and lifted her into my lap, wrapping an arm around her waist to hold her in place. “Raven, you’re mine. My old lady. My wife. The ring on your finger didn’t cost as much as you think.”
Her brows rose. “It was over one thousand dollars!”
“Yeah, but those are quality diamonds in the band. Do you think you aren’t worth the cost? Because let me tell you something… I could have bought out the entire fucking store, and it still wouldn’t have equaled your value. Hear me? There’s nothing more precious to me than you, Raven.”
She snuggled against me, and I hoped I’d gotten through to her. Truth be told, I hadn’t spent my money on much of anything over the years. A bike, some guns, but no super big purchases. My needs had been simple, and I hadn’t seen a reason to blow money on stupid shit. Which meant I had more in the bank than she realized. Not millions or anything, but enough we’d be comfortable all our lives and could pass some down to our kids. I’d even let Knox talk me into investing about ten years ago. In another decade, those shares would pay out dividends of a few hundred grand a year.
“You ready to have our first date?” I asked.
“Yes and no,” she mumbled against my shirt.
“What’s the no part?”
“I don’t like being in places where I feel like people are staring at me.”
I could understand how she felt. I scanned the area and didn’t see any reason we couldn’t eat on the patio. I only saw one other couple out there. “So we’ll eat outside. Or will that make you feel the same way?”
She lifted her head. “Really? We can eat outside?”
I nodded. “I’m sure they won’t have a problem with it.”
“That would be much better. Even though there are shoppers passing by, it wouldn’t be the same as being confined inside.”
Raven put her arms around my neck and pressed her lips to mine. It warmed me from the inside out, knowing she felt comfortable enough to instigate a kiss. My sweet girl had already started to heal, even if she didn’t realize it yet.
I opened the truck door and slipped out from under her, then helped her out of the vehicle. I held her hand as we walked into the restaurant and waited for the hostess to acknowledge us. She looked up from her podium with a warm smile.
“Welcome to Santiago’s! Table for two?” she asked.
“Yes, but my wife would like to be seated on the patio if possible,” I said.
“Of course! Just follow me.” She grabbed two menus and two sets of silverware before hustling through the main part of the restaurant and out a side door. She led us around the corner and seated us at a table in front of the restaurant. “How’s this?”
“Perfect,” I said, giving Raven’s hand a squeeze.
I pulled out Raven’s chair before claiming my own seat. The hostess set our menus and silverware down before clasping her hands in front of her.
“Marney will be your server, but in the meantime, what can I get you to drink?” she asked.
“Water’s fine for me,” I said.
“Same,” Raven murmured.
“All right. I’ll put in your drink order.” The woman rushed off and I nudged Raven’s menu, encouraging her to open it up and figure out what she’d like to eat.
“Everything I’ve eaten here is amazing, but I’m partial to their tacos. Order whatever you want. If you can’t eat it all, we can take any leftovers home with us and snack on them later.”
She nodded and perused the menu. I opened mine, even though I already knew what I wanted. I noticed the tension in Raven’s body and had hoped to put her at ease. One day, going out wouldn’t be so difficult for her. Until then, we’d keep trying. And if this was too much for her, then I could always take her to Spider’s while the Prospects packed up our house. She seemed to have enjoyed being with Luciana and Violeta today.
She scanned the area, and I noticed the exact moment the blood drained from her face. I looked around, trying to figure out what had scared her so badly. A man stood on the sidewalk across from the restaurant, smoking a cigarette. The way he watched Raven had me clenching my fists.
“Raven, who is he?” I asked.
She jerked her gaze back to me and I saw the fear in her eyes. “Guard Simmons. I thought… I thought I saw him at the store yesterday, but when I looked again he wasn’t there. I’d convinced myself he hadn’t really been there.”
“You should have told me.”
“I’d planned to, but then we got home and…”
“And I’d asked you to be mine.” I took a deep breath to calm myself and looked across the street again. The man had left. It seemed they knew where to find Raven, which meant she wasn’t safe.
I took out my phone and sent a text to everyone in the club. They needed to know to be on alert. Well, more than they were supposed to be already. Now that I knew for certain at least one of the guards was here, I had a feeling the others would be closing in soon too. They had to be pissed they’d been fired. Even though it was no one’s fault but their own, they’d blame Raven. Men like that always did. They never took responsibility for their own actions.
One of the guards from Balmoral found us. He’s gone now, but I want at least three brothers here now. I included our location and hit SEND.
Marauder was the first to respond. I’m down the street. Be there in a second.
Iron and Shooter confirmed they were on their way as well. I’d have them fan out and keep an eye on all sides. I didn’t want that fucker sneaking up on us, assuming it was just the one in the area. Which meant we needed faces and names.
I pulled up the last message I’d sent to Surge. Send out faces and names of the three fired guards to the entire club. We need to know who we’re watching for.
I got a thumbs-up emoji that had me shaking my head. Surge sometimes reminded me of a kid. I had to remind myself he wasn’t even thirty yet. At least he realized this took precedence over whomever was in his bed right now. He didn’t realize the club knew he tended to prefer men, even though we’d seen him with the club whores. He and Slider had something going on for a while, before Slider claimed Vasha. They’d both kept quiet about their relationship, and I didn’t know if they’d worried we’d give them shit about it. None of us cared. There were too many other things to worry about than who Surge wanted to sleep with.
“A few of my brothers are on their way here,” I told her. “They’ll make sure Simmons and the other two don’t get anywhere near you, all right?”
I reached over and placed my hand on top of hers, giving her fingers a slight squeeze. Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, and I hated that fucker had ruined what had been a good day. She should be happy right now. We were moving into a new house, she’d been accepted as mine by the club, and I’d even put a ring on her finger. Instead, the monsters who’d hurt her were now foremost in her mind. I wanted to gut the bastards.
“Sorry,” she said, trying to pull herself together. I saw the struggle as she gave her a head a little shake and looked down at the menu again. “I won’t let them win.”
I smiled. “There’s my girl.”
“Where are we going after this?” she asked.
“Wherever you want. If you feel safer at the compound, we’ll go there. Or if you want to run some errands, see a movie, whatever… I’ll have Marauder, Shooter, and Iron stick with us. They’ve accepted you into the family, Raven. They want to keep you safe as much as I do.” I thought about it a moment. “All right, maybe not quite as much as I do. You’re mine, after all. But they would give up their lives to keep you safe.”
She nodded. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
No shit. If those punk ass guards took any of us down, we had it coming. Quite
a few of us had served our country. I’d given four years of my life to the US Army. Yankee, Dread, and Shooter had also been in the Army. I knew a few of my brothers had been in the Navy or Marines. If the asshole guards had military backgrounds, Surge would have said something by now. Which meant they were bullies who needed to be taken down and didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of taking us.
Our server came out with our waters and to take our orders. By the time she’d rushed off and returned with chips and salsa, Raven seemed to have calmed a bit. I even noticed a hint of determination in her eyes. Looked like she was ready to fight back.
“I want new furniture,” she said. “If that’s okay.”
I smiled and leaned over the table to kiss her softly. “More than.”
While we ate our food, I kept an eye on our surroundings. I could see my brothers and knew they wouldn’t let Simmons near us. But if all three guards showed up, there was a slim chance one of them could slip through.
By the time we’d finished and I’d paid the check, I wanted to get Raven out of there. Going furniture shopping wasn’t the best idea at a time like this, but I couldn’t deny her. As I helped her into the truck, Marauder, Shooter, and Iron all pulled up on their bikes, waiting for me to lead the way. The roar of a Harley coming from the opposite direction caught my attention and a man who appeared close to my age came to a stop. I didn’t recognize him, but as I scanned his cut, I saw the stitching. It seemed my sweet Raven’s daddy had arrived.
Hatchet swung his leg over the bike, leaving it running. He pulled off his helmet and approached. I couldn’t see his eyes behind the dark lenses of his sunglasses, but I had no doubt he was taking my measure.
