And the stars blinked as they
watched her carefully, jealous
of the way she shone.
- Atticus
My leg aches as I stand on that side for too long causing me to shift and relieve some pressure.
Fuckin’ Lion.
Of course, I’d be the motherfucker who was attacked out of the brothers. That’s neither here nor there; it’s been forever since that fucked-up day. I need to let that shit go already. I’ve gotten a lot of my strength and movement back with a shit ton of work, but my leg will never be the same as it used to be. Guess that’s what happens when a Lion decides to use you as an appetizer. I damn sure can’t run for shit; guess if I’m being chased I’ll have to shoot instead of run.
Stupid fuckin’ cartel. Those bastards always fuck shit up. I still think we should find every one of those sneaky bastards and light them up. It’d solve a lot of problems, but the brothers think I’m crazy.
‘I’m angry, and they get it.’ They don’t get shit. They weren’t attacked, their lives weren’t completely changed. Thank fuck it didn’t mess with me playing too. It screwed me out of riding for about a year. Hell, the doc said not to ever ride again. Fuckin’ idiot, like I wasn’t gonna ride again. I told him to get the fuck outta here with that shit. I’m not a pussy; I’m not giving up my bike.
I lean against the wall a bit more, my sticks digging into my ass, reminding me that they’re there. I usually stick them back there if I have a gig and then forget about them. I played last night with a local band. Chaos and Ex came out to show some support, then we got pretty fucked up on whiskey afterward. Damn sure beat this barbecue going on right now.
Don’t get me wrong, Viking’s my brother, and I have his back one hundred and fifty percent. I even think Princess is good for him. It’s not them; it’s Bethany. She was the last person I was expecting to see.
When Vike first announced he was getting hitched, of course, I instantly thought of B stopping through. Princess hasn’t said a word about her since she split. One minute she was here in my bed and the next she’d left town. The bitch doesn’t even visit her best friend. I thought maybe they stopped talking or something.
Then to top it off, she only says two words to me. The last time I saw her, I thought for sure she was into me. She would stare at me like I was a goddamn puppy or some shit. She’s a prime example of why I don’t let women in too close. The club is my family; they’re all I need.
There’s just one little detail that’s driving me crazy. So much so, that I find myself making my way to Viking’s office. He’s not supposed to be working this week since he’s getting married, but I saw him sneak into his office. He’s either in there for some quiet or because he’s a damn control freak and can’t stand letting other people handle shit for him.
Opening the door, I slide in quickly and shut it, so no one knows we’re in here.
“Brother?” He glances at me, eyebrow raised.
“Saw Bethany.”
He nods, taking his seat behind the desk. I do the same, sitting in one of the broken-in leather seats opposite him. We’re not big talkers the two of us. We both think a lot before opening our mouths, so our conversations are usually short and straight to the point. This is one time I don’t know how to bring something up, though.
Very few members know how I feel about Bethany. Vike found out by pure luck when he was on the hunt for Princess. I slipped up a few times and my brother caught on. The others are like a group of gossiping broads and too wrapped up in themselves to pay attention to my shit.
Viking, not so much. We’re broody fuckers who often growl at people more than we speak, so he pretty much knew by the second look I gave the chick that I was planning on fucking her.
“She’s here for the wedding.” He takes a healthy gulp of beer.
“Figured.”
After a few moments of silence, he speaks again. “That all brother?”
“No.”
He nods again, staring me down, but I don’t know how to sugarcoat shit, so I stay quiet for a few more minutes, making shit awkward. Eventually, he goes back to working on whatever he was doing when I interrupted him, and I blurt out the thoughts bothering me.
“She had a kid with her.” So what if I followed her when Princess took her. I wasn’t about to let her escape that easily. Then she grabbed up a little boy. That had my step faltering and letting her go without me interfering. Now I can’t stop thinking about it.
“Yeah, I met him this morning.”
“First time?”
“Yep.”
“She married too?”
He barks out a laugh. “This is B we’re talkin’ about. She doesn’t have a fucking husband.”
I let loose a relieved breath, and he grows serious again, seeing how much the thought was eating me up. I was racking my brain trying to think if I’d seen a ring on her hand, but fuck, I was too distracted. One look in those eyes of hers, and I couldn’t give a fuck about anything else in the moment. I wanted to rip her clothes off and sink balls deep into her tight pussy right there in the hallway. I wanted to demand that she tell me why she left and why she hasn’t come back sooner. Maybe make it hurt a little and punish her ass for keeping me waiting so long.
“She bring an ol’ man with her, too?” Not that it matters; if anything, he’d get his feelings hurt by the way she still looks at me.
“No. Just her and the kid. Maybe you should talk to my Cinderella; she’d know the shit you’re asking.” Her name’s Princess, and he calls her Cinderella. Fucker has a shoe fetish now, too, from what I hear. Not my business, but kinda ironic.
“She won’t tell me anything. Your ol’ lady’s harder than some of the bikers I’ve met in my life.” It’s the truth too; the bitch is cold as ice toward me.
He cracks a tiny grin. “Fuck, yeah, she is.” He finishes off his bottle and tosses it in the small wastebasket beside the desk. “Not sure I can give you the answers you’re wanting, brother.”
“Those were the main ones I had. How long’s she staying? I’m guessing she’ll beat feet back outta here pretty quick?”
“You have a week.”
Huffing, I drum my fingers along my thigh. “They’ve stayed friends this whole time, then?”
“Yeah, they have, man. Cinderella visits her and shit.”
“That’s where her and Odin go then.” It’s not a question. Details are just starting to click into place, and I want him to confirm I’m correct.
“That’s right, brother.”
“Appreciate it.” Nodding my thanks, I leave him to his business.
He shakes my hand. “Good luck.”
I have a feeling I need more than luck this time. One thing that running into Bethany has showed me, is that she wasn’t happy to see me. She was surprised, but not pleased, and that’s a problem.
I head back toward the other brothers, grabbing a beer on my way. Viking will give it to me straight if he thinks I’m stupid for asking about her. I can trust him. He didn’t mention anything about me being a fool or that I should keep my space, so that’s something.
Do I really want to get involved with her again, though, now that she has a kid? Baby daddy drama and all that shit in tow. I’d end up throwing the bastard in a dumpster and lighting it up if he gave her any kind of grief with me around. Not sure she wants that sorta shitshow in her life.
It could be my chance at having a brat, though, if it were to work out. One thing that’s always ate away at me was not being able to have kids someday. I enjoy my freedom a lot; but hell, I want to have my own family eventually.
I usually fall back on it as a way to push people away. You’re less likely to get hurt by anyone if they think you never want anything with them more than a quick fuck. I’ll be real, for a while tapping pussy and riding was exactly what I wanted. I’m getting older now and am no longer a Nomad, and having a family isn’t looking like a hindrance anymore. Quick fucks are great. I love that shit, but I want to have a son to carry on my name and my blood. I want to have the chance to be a good father, unlike my own old man.
Princess has everything set up all nice and organized so everyone can load up their plates. She stands on the opposite side, helping the younger kids pick out what they want to eat. She’s always around the club, helping out and making sure everyone has what they need. Except for me, she usually pretty well ignores me. I don’t know why. I’ve never wronged her in any way, and I’d like to think of myself as being close with her ol’ man.
Grabbing a plate, I fall into line behind the kids. Sure, I could grab what I want and go around them, but I need to speak with her, so I not-so-patiently wait until she’s free and it’s my turn. Of course, she instantly busies herself stirring the foods in each of the bowls, so she won’t have to acknowledge me.
“Where’d your friend take off to?”
Her irritated gaze meets mine. “Why do you care?” She’s straight to the point, as always. One thing I admire about her. Nothing scares or intimidates her, and if it does, she hides it well like her father.
“Just curious, haven’t seen her around in a whole minute. Wanted to catch up.” And reacquaint myself with her body while I’m at it.
“You wanted to sleep with her again, you mean?” She damn well knows that isn’t her business. My personal life is no concern of hers, but I let her get away with it since it’s her best friend and all. I need to play nice if I want her to give me the information I’m looking for.
“Of course I do. Still, haven’t forgotten that sweet pussy sitting between those thighs. But no, I wanted to actually find out what all she’s been up to.”
“Hmph,” she snorts and rolls her eyes. She’s lucky I’m a decent man. Back in the day; she’d get put in her place quick.
“Where is she?” I’m done with the pleasantries. I asked her a fucking question, and if I have to talk to her ol’ man about her mouth, I will.
She’s quiet a minute, being stubborn, but eventually, caves with a deep sigh. “She went to my house.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah, but she wasn’t feeling well. With the heat, the alcohol made her sick. She was going to rest up.” She follows her confession quickly. Obviously, B wanted some space if Princess is going to lengths explaining, to make sure I don’t head to her place searching out Bethany.
“That’s shitty.”
“She’ll be around once she’s feeling better.”
“Hope so, hate to have to disturb her and all, just to get some time with her.”
“No need. Let her rest, please. Once Bethany’s back, I’ll tell her you wanted to talk to her.”
I watch her closely as I reply, so she knows I’m dead serious on seeing her again. “Bet, appreciate it, I’ll keep my eyes open for her then.”
She nods, and as soon as I leave her be, I watch her take her cell out of her pocket. She types a text quickly and then stuffs it in her back pocket, glancing at me. I meet her eyes straight on, making her turn away immediately.
She knows I saw her type that message, and I’d bet every penny in my wallet she was warning her friend right now that I was looking for her. I just can’t figure out why she’d need to. I thought Bethany and I left things on good terms. One day she was in my room letting me fuck her like a madman and the next she was gone. If anyone’s upset, it should be me. She left me high and dry, not so much as a ‘fuck you, I’m moving.’ Nothing.
Women are confusing to me; they always have been. Should I show up at Viking’s house and surprise Bethany? As much as I want to, it’s probably not a good idea to pop up unannounced and all. She has a kid now; I have to watch how I handle this. The caveman approach Viking used on Princess won’t work for me, as much as I wish that were the case.
I can’t believe she even has a kid. And that I’m still interested in her after all this time as well. Of course, I thought about her randomly over the years, but now that I’ve seen her, it’s like I’ve missed her.
Did I really miss her? How is that even possible? We had a few fun times, nothing to get hung up on. I think it’s the fact that she took off and then years later shows up, kid in tow and isn’t instantly sprung on me like she was in the past. It’s fucking with my head.
“You good?” Exterminator mutters as I post up next to him and survey the people spread out around the compound. All these people here and I’d bet Princess is nice to every damn one of ‘em except me. Wonder if any of these fuckers hit on B?
“Fine.”
“Princess?”
“Damn Ice Queen.” I shrug, and he chuckles to himself.
They find it entertaining that she doesn’t like me. I’m starting to wonder if her little friend has anything to do with that and what the hell Bethany would say to turn Princess against me.
I mean, I never called the bitch after we were together, not like I could anyhow. I didn’t have her number. I could’ve asked Princess for it, but I don’t like people in my shit, and I was attacked by a lion right after that for fuck’s sake. I’m pretty sure lion attack pulls the trump card in anything.
Clearly, I had my own shit to deal with. Bethany would’ve ended up hating me if she would’ve stuck around here anyhow. I was so damn angry after my attack happened, I couldn’t be near a woman anyhow. Not just because I was miserable, but I wouldn’t have let her see me so fucking weak and hurt.
Nobody witnessed my struggle—not a single fucking person from this club. No one knew I went to specialists or spent hours upon hours in physical therapy, choking down orders from some dumb preppy fuck griping at me to ‘keep going.’ Christ, I wanted to kick his goddamn teeth in, but I didn’t. Preppy fuck still has every gleaming white tooth, probably thanks to some rich parents.
It was all so I could get my leg to be in the best condition it could be and ride again. There was no way in hell I was giving up riding for the rest of my life like the doctors wanted. Fuck them and fuck that lion. I overcame the struggle just like I knew I would.
I’m good now, I think. I’ve had years to heal and calm my anger. Now, it’s time I find me a good woman to settle down with. Bethany just doesn’t realize it yet, that it’s gonna be her I choose. She’ll figure it out soon enough, and just like riding, I’ll get what I want.
I won’t stop until I do.