“You’re good after last night?” he whispers against my skin.
I hum, turning a bit. “I wasn’t expecting it, and I was worried you would get pissed off. I liked it though,” I admit. “Not just because it was another man, but I could tell you really were enjoying it. That was my favorite part,” I whisper.
West’s cock stays buried inside of me as he speaks. “I didn’t think any of this was possible, especially after that Derek thing. I thought if another man touched you again, I would be fucking irate. Maybe because there are no feelings, I’m cool with it, maybe because nobody touches your pussy but me. I don’t know what it is, and I’m not sure I care to find out. I’m just glad that we both enjoy it.”
He rolls off of me and I, in turn, move so that I’m lying against his chest. I prop my chin on his muscles and look up at him. “I don’t think I could handle it every day, or even every weekend, but I like how it is right now. Even if it went to once a month, that would be fine with me,” I admit. “I was worried it would become an obsession. That you would want to spend all of your time here like you were doing before.”
He sifts his fingers through my hair and nods. “Yeah, I could get where you would worry about that. I enjoy the arrangement for what it is right now, baby. Once a month would be cool with me too. I like what we have when it’s just us. But I like what happens in that room too. There’s something freeing about it, in a way I’ve never had before,” he admits.
Reaching up, I tuck some of his longer hair behind his ear, giving him a smile. “Let’s get home to our babies,” I whisper.
West leans forward and presses his lips to mine. “Let’s go, beautiful,” he murmurs.
It doesn’t take us long to dress and we quietly slip out of the clubhouse while everybody else is still passed out from the night before. The ride home is peaceful, and the crisp mountain air feels like heaven against my face as West heads toward home.
Our street is quiet when we pull down the road and into our driveway. We quietly climb off of West’s bike and make our way inside of our home.
I’m surprised that all of the kids are up and at the table with plates in front of them. Although I probably shouldn’t be, West’s mother is grandma of the year and she’s hard at work on the griddle making pancakes.
“Oh good, I was hoping you would be home in time for breakfast,” she calls out. “Rosalie set you both plates.”
West and I make our way to the table and sit down. Our boys are chattering about a new video game they want, begging West to buy it for them and download it on their iPads.
Rosalie quietly asks me if I’ll take her shopping for a dress for her eighth-grade dance. I want to cry that she’s so grown up but I agree and tell her that we can go this afternoon.
“Where are you going today?” West asks as he grabs some pancakes from the plate his mother just sat down in the middle of the table.
“Dress shopping for Rosalie,” I announce.
“Can Grandma come too?” Rosalie asks.
I look from her over to West’s mother who is attempting not to look hopeful, but she fails miserably. “Of course,” I smile.
“The boys and me’ll go fishing then,” West announces. They cheer and pile pancakes on their plates.
The rest of the morning our table is full of conversation. It’s a beautiful chaos, one that could have been lost to me forever, first when my marriage was on the brink of divorce, and second when Rosalie was taken.
There was a time when I didn’t believe that this moment could ever be a reality again, yet here we are. I couldn’t ask for anything better either.
CAMO
I sit down at the long table knowing that today will probably change everything I’ve ever known about this club. I thought that MadDog would end up taking months to choose a successor, but it seems like he’s going to make the announcement today. I can’t imagine what else he would call us all here for.
Life has been quiet since killing those fucking punks, and then Drifter’s brother. Hopefully it doesn’t take too long, I promised my boys fishing, and I intend to deliver.
The entire room is silent while we wait for MadDog to call our meeting to order. “I lost a lot of sleep over this decision,” he begins. “I’m not going to beat around the bush. I nominate Torch to take over as president in my retirement.”
The room stays silent and I glance over at Torch who looks about as surprised as everybody else standing around. “I second, Torch as our new president,” I announce.
He’s a good man, still young enough to run the club for a long time, and he’s been part of not only our club but the Idaho chapter as well. He’s ex-military, and his knowledge and leadership abilities will be an asset. Slowly every single man in the room puts his hand up and verbalizes his vote for Torch.
“Unanimously, voted as President of the Notorious Devils, Original Charter of Shasta California, Torch, Paxton Hill,” MadDog announces before he slams his gavel down. We all break out with cheers and applaud.
Torch walks over to MadDog and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the fucker embarrassed before. His cheeks are pink and there’s a small smile playing on his lips.
MadDog holds the hand with the gavel out for him and Torch looks from the gavel to MadDog’s blue eyes and then back down again. He slowly brings his hand out, palm up, and MadDog places the gavel in his waiting grasp.
We all watch as MadDog leans in and murmurs something before he takes a step back. He turns away and walks out of the room without another word.
Torch stares down at the small piece of wood in his hand, a piece of wood that means everything in this room. Then he looks up at us and slams it down.
“Holy fuckin’ shit,” he breathes. “I never thought I would want something like this, but thank you to every single one of you. I will not let you or your families down, not ever,” he vows.
He dismisses us with an announcement of a party next weekend. A barbeque for the families as a sendoff for MadDog, and an adult party in the evening as is normal for a patch-in. This isn’t exactly what that is, but we’ll treat it as such since none of us has ever known a Notorious Devils new president takeover.
The beer and booze are starting to flow as I make my way through the main part of the clubhouse. I stop and shake hands with MadDog, and then Torch, on my way out.
I’m not staying, my only mission today is to spend time with my sons. I’ve wasted enough of that over the past few months especially. I now know where my priorities lie, something that I had lost sight of.
Remi and Reid are playing catch on the side of the clubhouse building and I whistle to them. Without hesitation, they jog my direction. “Ready to go fishing?” I ask. Their mouths turn up into wide face-splitting smiles and we all head toward the truck.
It doesn’t take us long to drive toward our favorite fishing spot. When we arrive, we quickly unload and the boys have their poles cast before I can even blink. I don’t bother getting my shit out, content to watch my boys have fun.
My phone rings about two hours into our trip, and I answer it without looking at the caller ID assured that it’s probably Ivy, to tell me something about their shopping trip, or when she’ll be home.
“Yeah,” I mutter as my greeting.
A throat clears before a voice rasps on the other end. “You know, I never noticed how pretty the little girl was. Standing next to Ivy, they’re quite a duo. How much do you think a man would pay to play with both mother and daughter?” he asks.
Turning away from my boys, I swiftly walk away from them, so that they can’t hear me. “Who the fuck are you?”
He laughs sounding just as fucking sinister as he is. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” he chuckles. “I think I’ll try them out myself before I offer them up for service,” he states before he ends the call.
My heart stops beating, and I look down at the device in my hand. I go to my received calls and find that the number is blocked. I try to redial but nothing happens. Then as if
a jolt of adrenaline jumpstarts my brain, I scroll through my contacts before I find Ivy.
“Hello,” she laughs. I can hear Rosalie giggling in the background.
“Are you girls okay?” I demand, unable to keep the panic from my voice.
I hear some rustling around and then Ivy’s voice drops to a whisper. “Talk to me, what’s wrong?” she demands.
Clearing my throat, I tell her that I received a phone call that threatened her safety. “Come home from the mall. Don’t alarm my mom or Rosalie, but I need you guys home,” I plead.
“Rosalie has a dress, we’ll leave right now,” she announces.
I close my eyes and let out a sigh of relief. “Text me every twenty-minutes, let me know where you are and that you’re safe.” Ivy agrees and ends the call.
I glance back at my boys and they’re having so much fun I don’t want to make them leave, not yet at least. Letting them enjoy themselves, I find Torch’s name in my phone, and I call my new president.
“You left,” he laughs as he answers the call.
“Get somewhere, where you can talk,” I growl.
Just a few minutes later the background noise has completely faded and he demands that I speak. I tell him everything.
“You didn’t see who called?” he asks. I explain that I looked through my received calls but it came from a blocked number. I tried to redial it, but nothing happened. “Fuck. Get them to the clubhouse. I’ll shut this fucking party down right now.”
“They’re on their way back from the mall, I’ll get them to pack some shit and bring them over myself. I’m not going to fuck around with this,” I announce.
He clears his throat before he speaks. “I agree. I’m going to put the whole fucking club on lockdown until we can find out more. Get here as soon as you can, and I can get Hacker your phone. Who knows maybe he can find something.” The line goes dead and I look back at my boys. Reid is happily casting his line, but Remi is looking right at me and I can tell he’s concerned.
“C’mon boys we gotta go,” I rumble.
Reid quickly packs up his stuff but Remi continues to stare at me. “C’mere boy,” I call out to him.
He quickly drops his pole and rushes to my side. I wrap my hand around the side of his neck and look down into his pretty brown eyes. He looks so much like his mama that I find myself getting a little choked up before I even speak a word.
“Got a phone call, a bad one. Everyone is okay for now, but I need your mom and Rosalie in the clubhouse where it’s safe,” I murmur.
“Lockdown,” he nods.
I agree with a nod of my own. “Yeah, lockdown. I have to make sure my family is safe, can you help me with that? We’re going to head on home and pack our bags for a few days stay while we wait for the girls to come home, okay?”
“Yeah, Dad,” he nods.
He can’t hide the concern in his eyes as I’m sure I can’t either. I squeeze the side of his neck gently before I release him. I watch as he helps his brother gather the rest of our shit and they quickly load it into the truck.
“Buckle up,” I grunt. They do and I peel out of the gravel road, flipping my truck around before I press the pedal down and speed toward home.
I have one thing and one thing only on my mind—my girls’ safety. Nothing else fucking matters.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
IVY
West’s mom glances at me with every mile I drive toward home. She hasn’t said anything, but I know that she can feel my anxiety. Rosalie does too.
I can’t explain to her what’s happened, and I’m not willing to let her out of my sight so that I can explain it to my mother-in-law. So, I stay quiet, and I drive, texting West every ten minutes, instead of twenty.
Glancing in my rearview mirror, I take into account every car that I can see behind me. It doesn’t appear as though I’m being followed, but what the fuck do I know? I’m trembling, scared shitless that someone is going to try to take my baby again. I don’t know who it could be, or why—why us?
When I pull onto our street, I glance at West’s sister’s house and it looks normal. My niece is in the front yard and gives us a small wave.
I watch as she turns around and heads back into her home. Then I pull up to West’s mother’s. She wraps her hand around mine and gives it a gentle squeeze.
“You’ll call me if you need to, right?”
“Yeah,” I whisper. She nods and exits the car, calling out a fake cheerful goodbye to Rosalie.
“Tell me,” Rosalie demands as I turn the car around and head back toward our home.
Clearing my throat, I think about telling her, but I can’t, not after what she’s already been through. “Nothing to tell you, honey. We just need to go to the clubhouse for a few days. We’re going to meet Dad at home and pack a bag,” I state through trembling lips.
“Bailey already texted me. Says there was a threat made,” she announces.
I don’t contain my groan, half tempted to take her fucking phone and throw it out of the window as I pull into our driveway. “A threat was made,” I confirm as I shift the car into park.
“Against who, Mom?” she asks in a demanding tone.
Turning around in my seat, I let out a breath, trying not to be irritated at her, or Bailey. He’s just trying to help, I’m sure. She’s been through enough, that she’s probably terrified. “How about you let Dad and the club worry about things? We’re going to follow directions. Walk in that house and pack our bags, okay?”
“Okay, Mom,” she whispers.
I don’t waste another second, I open my door and slide out of the car as Rosalie does the same with her shopping bags in tow.
West is pacing in the living room as soon as I open the front door. He stops and looks up at me, his face pale and his eyes nothing short of relieved. I hold my breath when he hurries toward us, and without a word, he wraps me in his arms, burying his face in my neck.
“Thank fuck you’re here,” he murmurs against my skin.
“Anything else?” I ask.
West lifts his head, shaking it. “You girls go on up and pack some shit,” he murmurs running his thumb along my bottom lip.
I nod and take a step back, holding my hand out for Rosalie. She puts her hand in mine and together we hurry up the stairs.
She releases my grasp only when we arrive at her room. I don’t look back as I hurry to mine and I pack a week’s worth of things. I hear West’s boots as he enters our bedroom and I let out a sigh. “I should just quit my job,” I mutter.
“I’ll pay for your training with Chad,” he quickly replies.
Stopping I turn my head and glance up at him. “West,” I whisper.
He shakes his head. “Not discussing it. I’m paying for it. I want you home, you’re happiest being available for the kids and you love working out with your friends. I was being a stubborn ass, Ivy. A fucking dickhead and I’m sorry.”
I blink, trying to keep my tears at bay. “Seriously?” I ask.
He nods but doesn’t say anything else, I watch as he turns and walks away. He leaves me alone in our room. I let out a breath and try, again, not to cry. Instead, I focus on packing my bags.
The past few months have been, eye-opening to say the least. Our marriage has been teetering, and then actually started to fall and crash into a million pieces.
Somehow, we picked them up, we discovered some new things about each other, and now West is having a change of heart concerning my employment.
I shouldn’t be as excited as I am about being able to be a stay-at-home mom again. I should want to be that independent woman, who applied and was hired by the dentist’s office. However, I can’t deny that I love being home, I love being with my children whenever they need me.
Glancing at my phone on the nightstand, I walk over to it, picking it up in my palm. I scroll through the numbers until I find my boss’s name.
Pressing send, my eyes travel out of the window and I hold the phone to my ear as it rings.
Nobody answers, so I leave a message. Just as I’m pressing end on the call, I see a motorcycle ride by very slowly. It doesn’t stop, but a chill runs down my spine nonetheless.
Turning back to my bag I quickly finish packing. I’m just zipping up my bag when West appears again. “I’m all ready to go,” I state. He grunts as he reaches for the handle of my suitcase.
I follow closely behind him, down the staircase and glance around the living room to the rest of my family. “Let’s get the fuck outta here,” West growls.
Rosalie wraps her hand around mine, and I give it a squeeze as I follow behind my three strong boys. I feel like I’m seconds from breaking apart.
The unknown is what is scaring me the most. All I can imagine is Rosalie being taken again—the thought will not leave my headspace.
Once we’re loaded up in our SUV, West drives toward the clubhouse. He doesn’t speak, and neither do the rest of us. It’s the quietest car ride I think I’ve ever been in with the entire family.
I can’t keep my legs from bouncing up and down as we continue to drive. West glances in the rearview mirror every couple of seconds and I hold my breath until I see those clubhouse gates in front of us.
One of the prospects opens the gate and I let out a long exhale as the car drives through the entrance.
“Kids you go inside, quickly,” West announces. I’m thankful when we don’t have to tell them twice and they hurry inside of the building.
“Do you have anything else?” I ask before we exit the car.
West shakes his head. “I’m going to give my phone to Hacker, see if he can find anything out about who called me,” he explains.
I watch him walk around the SUV to my side. He opens the door for me and I quickly exit before I wrap my arms around his neck. “I love you. Whatever happens, I know that you’ll keep us safe,” I whisper.
Notorious Devils MC Complete Collection: BoxSet Page 194
