Rosalie’s eyes fill with tears and she launches herself at me, her arms wrapping around my neck and squeezing. “I love you, Daddy. Thank you for saving me,” she whispers against my ear.
I squeeze her tight, too tightly I know, against me and just hold her. My baby girl, she was almost lost to me forever, and now she’s here in my house breathing free and safe. “I love you too, Rosalie. I’ll always save you. I would die doing it.”
I hold her for just a few more minutes until my emotions start to get the best of me, then I clear my throat and release her to stand on my feet. “Get some sleep, sweetie,” I murmur, turning around and walking out of her room.
Ivy is leaning against the wall in the hallway her eyes filled with tears. “You’re here to stay?” she asks.
“How could you even ask that?”
She looks down at her feet then glances back up at me. “I just feel like we’re still on the edge of losing, us,” she whispers.
Closing the distance between us I wrap my hands around her cheeks and press my lips to hers, just feeling her breath against my mouth. “Maybe we were, but not now, baby.”
“So I slept with someone else and suddenly our marriage is saved?” she whispers.
Deciding we need to have this conversation in our bedroom and not the hallway, I take a step back from her and wrap my hand around hers. Tugging her behind me we walk to our bedroom. Once we’re inside, she closed the door behind her and locks it.
“The boys?” I ask turning around to face her.
She smiles. “In bed.”
“Good.”
She doesn’t move, staying in her spot, her back leaning against the bedroom door before she asks me to explain.
“You sleeping with Derek should piss me the fuck off, and it does, to a degree,” I murmur. Ivy’s brows furrow together and I try to explain further. “I shouldn’t want to watch another man touch you, I should hate the idea of it. However, I don’t. It fucking excites me to think about,” I admit.
“Do you want someone else to have sex with me, in front of you?” she asks.
I shake my head wrapping my hand around the back of my neck. “I don’t know,” I admit truthfully.
She nods and steps closer to me. “Okay, West. I want to, but no sex with someone else,” she murmurs.
I don’t question her further, I don’t ask her if she enjoyed fucking Derek or not, but the way she’s looking at me, with her doe-eyes, I decide not to push her. “Let’s get some sleep, baby,” I murmur.
“Okay,” she breathes.
Chapter Nineteen
IVY
“You do this shit every day?” Kentlee whines as she does another burpee.
I can’t stop myself from giggling at her complaints. She’s obviously not someone who works out often, though it’s not as if she really needs to. The woman’s curves are out of this world and sexy as hell.
“Chad is a slave driver,” I grumble.
“Yeah, okay,” Chad calls out, rolling his eyes.
“Look at them, those skinny bitches,” Kentlee mumbles.
I turn my head and see Brentlee, Mary-Anne, and Hattie jogging on the three treadmills that are lined up in a row. I laugh and continue with my burpees right next to Kentlee. She acts like she can’t do it, but she’s definitely holding her own right next to me.
“We get some kind of carb after this, right?” she asks breathlessly.
Chad’s eyes widen and he shakes his head. “No way. Lean protein and vegetables,” he announces.
“That’s bullshit, I want pancakes,” she pouts.
I’m unable to do one more set. Instead, I fall to the ground laughing. Working out with these girls is horrible for my body, but awesome for my soul.
“You know she’s just going to keep complaining, don’t you?” Genny asks.
“You’re a skinny bitch too,” Kentlee shouts.
Brian walks over to us and sits down next to me, smiling widely as he looks around the gym. He locked the doors as soon as we all walked in and close the place down. He wanted to make sure that the women of the Notorious Devils had their privacy, and I honestly don’t blame him. They’re a little crazy.
“You doing okay?” he asks, nudging my shoulder.
Bringing my knees up to my chest I wrap my arms around them and rest my chin on top. “You know, I am,” I admit.
“You and West?”
I turn to him slightly and give him a grin. “We’re going to be okay,” I murmur.
“Going to be?” he asks.
I shrug one shoulder and turn toward the other women but keep my voice low. “He’s not mad at me for cheating, although he hasn’t touched me since it happened,” I state. “He’s been home every night, and he’s been an attentive husband and father. Baby steps,” I shrug.
“The kinky stuff?”
I don’t hold back my smile. “We made boundaries, for the most part. We’ll see what happens.”
Brian slips his arm around my shoulders and tugs me a little closer to his side. “I have a feeling whatever is meant to be, will be, Ivy. You love each other.”
“We do,” I nod.
“Okay, we worked out for an hour. My ass and thighs are going to ache for two weeks, I need food,” Kentlee announces.
“Whatever aches I’m sure Fury will kiss all better,” Mary-Anne calls out as she hops off of the treadmill.
Kentlee flashes her a big smile. “Oh, you know he will, and happily,” she winks.
“Smoothies,” Chad calls out. “I’ll make smoothies.” He rushes off to the back room and Kentlee cringes. “I don’t want a smoothie, I want a muffin or pancakes,” she whispers.
I giggle and stand from my spot. “Don’t worry, Carlotta’s is open for breakfast now, we’ll get pastries when we’re finished here,” I murmur.
“I heard that,” Chad calls out with a wink.
Kentlee ignores him but gives me a hug. “I could kiss you, Ivy. Seriously, women cannot live on smoothies, chicken, and veggies alone. Chad’s crazy.”
We spend the next hour talking and having a good time, just the girls with Chad and Brian. My boss gave me the week off with everything that happened with Rosalie. I’m enjoying spending some much-needed time with Brentlee, Kentlee, and Hattie, whom I don’t see too often since they live in Idaho.
“How are your girls?” I ask Mary-Anne.
Her eyes cloud and her shoulders deflate a bit. “Riley is feeling extra guilty and hasn’t slept much. Finley only sleeps. It’s been rough. I really needed today,” she admits. “Bailey has been out of sorts as well.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulder and give her a hug. Nobody should ever have to go through what Finley went through, and I don’t know how, as a mother, I would be able to handle it if it were Rosalie. I think that Mary-Anne is probably the strongest woman I know right about now.
“Whatever you and MadDog need, I’m here for you,” I murmur.
“How’s Rosalie doing?” she asks.
I shrug. Rosalie has been pretty much herself, albeit a bit more quiet than usual. She’s been a little more attached to her phone as well, but I assume it’s because she’s still talking to Bailey. “She’s okay,” I murmur.
She nods. “Good.”
“So since we leave Sunday, we’re going to have a party Friday night and recover Saturday, then do a family BBQ,” Kentlee announces.
“You always have to have a party,” Hattie says, rolling her eyes.
Genny walks over to our group with a smile and a smoothie in hand. “Parties are fun. Let’s do it.”
We spend the next few minutes deciding who will bring what to the family BBQ Saturday afternoon. The Friday night party is easy, booze, music and people are all we’ll need. Saturday will be a bit more tame, at least for a while. Things could get a little wild after the kids are sent off home.
“You and Chad are of course invited Saturday,” Kentlee announces, looking over at Brian.
He grins. “What no invite to the Frid
ay night party?”
“Lisandro and Theo will be there,” Cleo announces, speaking of her two best friends.
My eyes widen as I think about Chad and Brian at a Notorious Devils clubhouse party. A real party.
“Things get a little wild,” I mutter.
Chad throws his head back laughing. “Ivy, we’re big boys. We can handle wild,” he winks.
It’s set then, Chad and Brian are coming to the party Friday night. I wonder what exactly this party will hold for me. What will happen? Will it be where West shows me exactly what his fantasies are? I’m nervous and yet excited with the anticipation of what is to come.
CAMO
Derek eyes me from his place at the bar. He’s cleaning, but he’s completely focused on me, and me alone. It’s been a few days since everything has settled with the girls being taken.
MadDog hasn’t been around the clubhouse lately, choosing to stay home with his family. I don’t blame him one bit, in fact, I should be doing the same.
However, I have to work. There’s a load that’s supposed to be ready for us tonight. I’m glad that I don’t have to drive it anywhere, but I do have to help unload it from the docks and then load it onto the truck.
“Derek,” I call out after a few minutes. His spine straightens and he abandons his cleaning rag before heading in my direction.
“Sir,” he grinds out.
He doesn’t want to call me that. I’m sure he has much more colorful words he’d prefer to use, but he’s a prospect and his station in this club depends on me at the moment. “You like my wife?” I ask bluntly.
Derek takes a step back and I watch as his eyes darken. “Doesn’t matter. She’s your Old Lady,” he mutters.
I shake my head once. “It does matter. I know you have a thing for her. So I’m willing to help you out with that,” I grin.
He eyes me warily but doesn’t speak. Standing straight in front of me, he waits for me to continue.
“Have a seat,” I offer. He sits but it’s with a straight spine, and I almost laugh about his posture and body language, he’s scared shitless—but I don’t. “I want to share her. She likes you, and she’s already had you, so I figure you’re the perfect person to start out with.”
Derek’s eyes flash, but I don’t know him well enough to understand what his problem is. I’m giving him what he wants, more of Ivy, just under my fucking rules.
“Share her,” he murmurs leaning back in his seat slightly.
“You follow my rules. What I say goes, and nothing else,” I state.
He watches me. I can practically see the wheels spinning inside of his head. “I’ll do it.” He nods, as though he’s making the decision on his own—he’s not. I say what goes around here, especially with my Old Lady, and he doesn’t really have much of a choice in the matter.
I stand and look down at him. “You make any contact with her before Friday and I’ll end you,” I murmur, turning around and walking away from him without a backward glance.
Leaving the clubhouse, I head toward Humboldt. Tinker is supposed to unload the shit from the dock with me, but I don’t feel like riding together with him. I need to be alone for a little while.
Deciding to ride by my house before I head out, I turn toward that direction. Rosalie hasn’t been back at school since her ordeal, and today Riley and Finley were supposed to come to our place with MadDog as their escort.
When I pull up, I see MadDog sitting on the bench on my front patio. Parking, I amble off of my bike and make my way toward him. His head pops up when I approach a bit closer and he runs his hand over his face.
“I’m old, brother,” he murmurs.
I sit down next to him with a groan. “I feel you,” I chuckle.
He shakes his head. “Nah, this last bit, with my girls. I think I’m ready to hang up my cut,” he mutters.
I blink, feeling surprise and yet, not. The man is almost eighty years old, I don’t blame him for wanting to relax a bit. His children are almost grown, and they’ll be leaving the house soon.
“What’ll you do?” I ask propping my elbows on my knees.
He shrugs. “Always thought Fury would take over the club,” he murmurs. “He’s got his own shit, and four kids to take care of in Idaho. I wouldn’t ever ask him to leave the life he has there. I thought I could wait it out until Bailey was ready, but I’m fuckin’ tired,” he admits.
I wrap my hand around his shoulder and give him a squeeze. “Nobody would say shit if you hung up your gavel, Pres. We all love you, and you’ve run this club like a well-oiled machine for a long fuckin’ time.”
He nods but doesn’t reply and we sit there for a few minutes in silence. “How’re the girls?” I ask quietly.
“Hangin’ on, but fuckin’ barely,” he states.
I grunt in acknowledgment because my Rosalie is about the same. “I’m heading to Humboldt to unload that new shipment,” I murmur. “See you Friday night?”
“Yeah,” he admits, but he doesn’t look excited about it.
I squeeze his shoulder again as I stand to my feet and start to head back down to my bike. As soon as I’m straddling my bike, I look up and notice that MadDog is watching me. He does look fucking worn, but he looks resigned too. As though he’s ready to move on, and like I told him, nobody would say shit if he wanted to quit tomorrow, if he wanted to name a new President.
This life is fucking brutal sometimes, and he’s lived it for a long fucking time. He’s due to relax, enjoy the rest of his year and his kids and grandkids.
Chapter Twenty
CAMO
Standing next to my bike, I look toward the docks. The air feels… wrong, just like the last time I was here, I feel like I’m being watched. I don’t know what it is, or why, but something in my gut is telling me that there is something very wrong about to go down here tonight. It’s probably nothing, probably just remnants of the bullshit that just happened with Rosalie and the girls. I try to shake it off and get on with my business.
Tinker pulls up next to me and kills his engine before sliding off of his bike. “You haven’t started yet?” he asks, looking from me to the shipping container of merchandise.
“Nope,” I answer.
We walk together to the container and I watch as Roach climbs out of the driver’s side of the waiting truck. He unlocks and opens the back, then does the same to the container so that we can get started.
“Where’s the dock worker?” I ask as my eyes search the dark shittily lit area.
Roach shrugs. “He was here when I pulled up. Took his money and I haven’t seen him since. Probably had a hot date to spend his cash on,” he chuckles.
We get to work, knowing that it’s going to take at least a couple of hours to get everything transferred over to the truck. By the time we have the truck loaded, I’m hot, sweaty and physically exhausted. I don’t mind it though, it’s a nice change compared to how I’ve been feeling lately, which has been on edge and restless.
“You headed back to the club?” Tinker asks as we walk to our bikes.
I shake my head. “Nah, gonna go home,” I murmur.
He grins and straddles his bike, looking back at me before he starts his engine. “Good to see you two getting your shit together,” he chuckles.
I flip him off and he laughs a little harder before he starts his engine and then he and the truck are gone. I don’t leave right away though. I decide to make my way to the edge of the dock and look out at the black water. So many changes have happened in such a short period of time and I’ve been so fucking lost for so long that I just need to take a moment to breathe.
My back straightens when I hear a sound behind me. It’s unmistakable. The sound of a gun being cocked. I don’t move, not even a twitch, as I wait for whatever my fate will be.
“So, you killed a bunch of little boys. Good for you,” the voice laughs.
“But you’re a man?” I ask. “Pointing a gun at the back of my head?”
He growls and te
lls me to turn around. I don’t recognize the man that I come face-to-face with. Perhaps I should, but I don’t recall anything about him. I wait for him to speak, not wishing to give anything about myself, or my lack of recognition away if possible.
“You have no clue who I am, and I suppose you shouldn’t,” he mutters. “Honestly, I shouldn’t have sent boys to do a man’s job. That was my own doing,” he murmurs. I wait, silently, wondering what he’s going to say next.
He tips his head to the side and watches me. Waiting. “Your daughter wasn’t supposed to be involved. Just the old man’s,” he mutters. It’s then that I know that this has nothing to do with anybody but MadDog, whatever this is.
“You probably don’t even know my brother, but MadDog and Fury do since they killed him a few years ago,” he mutters.
I shake my head, trying to figure out what the fuck he’s talking about and then I lift my eyes to his and really look at him. He’s white, tall, bulky in the center, and mean as shit looking.
“The boys were supposed to load up those bitches of MadDog’s and bring them to me. Then Fury’s were next. Of course, you can’t get decent men working for you these days, not unless you raise them up yourself and train them from birth.”
Aryan’s. This fucker is one of them. It’s been years, and our club has killed so many of them, but there’s no way to know how many are left. He grins, leaning forward a bit. “I see you realize what group I belong to. But you don’t really know who I am yet,” he chuckles.
It’s been a while. A long fucking while, since this asshole group has taken up any headspace of mine. However, I’m pretty sure I know who this fucker’s brother is. I only know of one man Fury and MadDog both killed, or were at least present for their killing.
Drifter.
Fucking shit.
He was the Vice President of Fury’s club, his right-hand brother, and he was also a fucking Aryan spy. He was in charge of kidnapping Old Ladies and women of the club across the country. The club, as a whole, has been rescuing them since, finding them, and bringing them, and sometimes even their children, to safety.
Notorious Devils MC Complete Collection: BoxSet Page 189
