Chapter 9
Slick
I’d known the bastards had handled her roughly, and that at least one of them had probably forced her, and that had made me angry enough. When I’d collected her from the motherfucking Demons clubhouse that morning she’d been injured and hurting, but we’d only called in Doc to look at her ribs. She hadn’t given any indication anything else was wrong.
Ignorant of just how badly she’d been treated, I’d thought the best thing to do was give her time to heal and come to terms with what had happened. I’d been certain Jill would have told her what to expect. Hell, I’d tried to as well. As prepared as she could be, she’d gone into that club with her eyes open, just like any sweet butt, knowing she was there for one thing only, to be fucked.
That night, as I waited outside in that car, thoughts of what she was going through were swirling around my head. I’d hated it. Already wishing I’d acted on the strange possessive feelings that were screaming at me that I didn’t want any other fucker to touch her, particularly not one from a rival club. But equally knowing my brothers came before any bitch. We needed someone to place those fucking cameras, and all we had was her. We’d used her, just like we used the whores at the compound.
I remember asking myself, why was I worrying about some bitch I’d only just met? Even as I sat waiting I argued with myself. I was Slick. I never wanted a woman for my own. I denied my own leanings and bottled them up, refusing to believe I felt anything for her at all. I’d known what she was walking into and didn’t do fuck all to stop her. And when she’d walked out the next morning, I knew immediately I’d done everything wrong. I should never have let her take one step into that club.
When she’d appeared, damaged and broken, a blast of unexpected and such strong emotion told me I couldn’t avoid or hide it anymore. Those motherfuckers had dared to touch what was mine. With thoughts in my head they were going to die, I’d claimed her that morning. It was too late undo what was already done, but I vowed there and then, no man was ever going to lay their hands on my woman, ever again.
And now as it turns out I never even knew the half of it. Of course it was obvious what had happened in that club there had shaken her, as well as physically hurt her. But what they had done was worse than I ever could have imagined.
Fuck. If any of us had had even an inkling of how she was going to be treated we’d have found some other darn way to get eyes and ears into that club. She was damaged, and scared, so while claiming her as my old lady I offered her space and time to recover, telling myself I wasn’t going to push for anything more until she was ready.
But I’m just a man, and she’s a beautiful woman. Growing tired of waiting, I’d become impatient. My timing so poor happening just before Sophie’s protagonist had found her again, and all went to shit at the club. That very morning I’d started to persuade her, making suggestions about her doing more than just sleeping in my bed. I’m now not surprised that she’d run. I went too far and too quickly. If only I’d known the truth at the time I would have done things so differently.
The motherfuckers made her pull a train.
I never dreamt what had happened had been so devastating. Right now I’m not sure how I’m managing to control myself, keeping my rage locked deep inside so I don’t scare her further. I’m actually pleased two Rock Demons escaped when we blew up their clubhouse. The idea of having someone left alive to kill is at least helping me keep it together. And find them I will. Drum’s already gone to get Mouse tracking them down.
“I was going too fast for ya, wasn’t I, darlin’?”
“Slick, there’s no speed you could have gone which would have been slow enough.” Her little hand fists and lightly hits me in my chest over and over as if she’s trying to get rid of her frustration. “After what happened, I don’t want any biker, even you, to hurt me like that again.”
She’s shocked me. “I’d never hurt you.”
“Jill told me all bikers like it rough.”
She was frightened of me. “Ella, babe. I can do gentle.” At least, I fucking hope I can.
“I don’t even want to try. I’m too scared, Slick. Look, just leave me be. I can never be a proper old lady for you.”
And there we have it. But she’s allowing me to give her comfort in my arms and that, if nothing else, must be a good place to begin. “We’ll start over. Take it as easy and slow as ya want.” I remember telling her that before, but this time I’ll go at a fucking crawl.
“Slick, I can’t,” she wails. “The thought of sex with anyone makes me feel ill. Please, just leave me alone. I will get some help, but I don’t want to lead you on. It wouldn’t be fair to keep you waiting for something I won’t be able to give.”
I ignore her. “We’ll go on a date.” How the fuck do I do that? “Start real leisurely.”
“You’re a man, Slick, you’ve got needs. You’re better off fucking the club whores. I’m being honest here, I’ll never be what you want.” Her tightly clenched hand thumps me in the chest again. “And it hurts me to think you’re getting, from people like Jill, what I can’t give you.”
My hand covers hers and I squeeze it strongly. “Give me a chance, El. Give me a chance and I promise I won’t fuck whores. Or anyone.”
“I can’t ask you do to that. What if I never…”
“I’ll wait for you, darlin’. And if you’re not ready, there’s always my hand.” Fuck, the promises I’m making here. Already my balls are aching wondering if I really could last. Am I really pledging to be celibate for a woman that, let’s admit it, I barely know?
That night we’d met, when I’d first entered this shabby house, there had been something about her. She had a spark, was clearly intelligent, and I’d thought even then I wanted her in the clubhouse, but not for the enjoyment of my brothers. No, I wanted her all to myself. A strange feeling when I’ve laughed at brothers keeping to one pussy before. She was so fucking brave to agree to do what we asked of her. And it gutted me that I’d misled her about what she was walking into, even if I didn’t know at the time. Oh, I’d known they had a reputation as being a bit wild with their women and didn’t respect them the way the Devils do, but I hadn’t envisaged the level of debauchery to which they would go.
Even the thought that one or two had violated and hurt her was enough for me to feel no remorse when we blew up their fucking club. Now I know it was all the members, it’s bringing me to my fucking knees. My guilt in the part I played cementing my resolve. If keeping my dick dry is what it will take to put a smile back on her face, then my self-denial will be a small price to pay.
“We barely know each other, Slick. When you said you’d claimed me as your old lady…”
“I did it too fast, and made you run.”
“You claimed me to get into my pants. You wanted to sleep with me.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “I hadn’t planned on there being much sleeping involved. But I’ll tell you the truth, darlin’. I didn’t want any of the brothers’ hands on ya. I wanted you all to myself. And, if you’d told me, let me in and explained, I’d have gone so fuckin’ easy on you. I’d have been by yer side and helped ya to heal every step of the way.”
A little sniffle comes at my explanation. I need to make this right, and I’ve no fuckin’ idea where to start. “I did everything wrong, darlin’. We never talked. Let’s start afresh and take time to get to know each other properly. Just conversation and that. No pressure. No rush. Are you up for that? Ella, babe, say you’ll come on a date with me, please? Give me a chance.”
She thinks for a moment, and I sigh with relief when her head dips in a tentative nod. I’d give anything to be able to kiss her, but even that step would be moving too fast. Already ideas are building in my head about showing her just how fucking slow I can take this. I’ll just have to work at keeping my dick under control.
As she snuggles into me my hands stroke her hair. The repetitive action must be calming as gradually she falls back asleep. While I don’t want to leave her alone, I do need to get back to the clubhouse. When I hear the front door slam, I’m relieved, suspecting it’s her friend Tilly coming home. She’s a bitch I’ve not met before, so I want to check for myself that I’m leaving my woman, my woman, in safe hands. I ease myself out from under her, replacing my body with a plumped-up pillow and quietly leave her room, leaving her door slightly ajar in case she wakes and calls out.
Going along the short hallway, the woman, who I assume to be Tilly, comes into sight. She’s older than Ella—either that or has lived a much harder life. She glares when she sees me and halts, placing her hands on her hips.
“You the fucker that gave Bart his marching orders yesterday?” she sneers.
“He had his hands on my fuckin’ woman,” I growl. “Not gonna let any bastard get away with that. And if you know what’s good for you, you won’t let him back in this house. Not while Ella’s here.”
She shrugs. “He’s coming around later to pick up his shit.”
Ella’s mine, and I’m going to do what I should have done before, make sure nothing can hurt her. I take my phone from my cut and select a number. It rings a couple of times.
“Road. Get yourself over to Ella’s. I’ll explain when you get here.” I end the call, replace my phone, then turn to Tilly. “Prospect will make sure he only takes what’s his and gets the hell out.” I’ve taken an immediate disliking to the woman Ella lives with, apart from the fact that it’s clear she’s a slob. When she’d been at the clubhouse, Ella had always kept my room tidy and helped the other women cleaning up. I have no doubt it’s this woman who’s responsible for most of the shit left lying around. The sooner I can get Ella out of here the better.
Tilly tries to stare me down. It doesn’t work. Unable to resist take the few steps down the short hallway and push open Ella’s door again, as if to impress the sight of her in my memory. Briefly I watch her sleeping, not missing the way she twitches as though she’s having a bad dream. The sight guts me. Now knowing the reason, I vow to do everything that’s humanly possible to erase those bad memories from her head—there won’t be enough that I can do to try to make things right. If it wasn’t going to wake her I’d put my fist through the wall. Those fuckers raped her.
When I hear the loud pipes, I go out and brief Road, threatening his life if he lets any harm come to my girl. Then I swing my leg on my bike and ride back to the compound, thoughts of Ella going around my head every mile of the way.
Knowing he’ll be expecting an update, I go directly to Drum’s office, glad to find him alone.
He jerks his chin as I enter. “Heart has stabilised.”
I breathe a sigh of relief at the one good thing I’ve heard today.
“Take a load off.” He waves at one of the chairs in front of his desk. I do so, flicking my eyes toward the Satan’s Devils flag hanging on the wall behind him. A shadow of Lucifer hovering over three devils, the same as the patch on our cuts.
“How did you not know? That’s what I can’t understand.” Prez’s brow furrows. “They must have cut her up. You must have noticed how sore she was.”
Taking a deep breath, I let him in on my secret. “I never fucked her.”
His jaw drops and he blinks rapidly. “You took an ol’ lady without tryin’ her out?”
I raise my shoulders. “I didn’t want any other fucker near her, brother or not. Seemed the best way to save her for me.” And somehow I’d known we’d fit together like hand and glove. “I was giving her time, knew that they’d spooked her. But hell, my cock didn’t want to wait. I started to push her.”
“And that’s when she took off?”
“Yeah.” Running my hand over my head I feel stubble coming through and know I’ll need to shave it off soon before it starts to irritate me. “I was so angry, Prez. She didn’t attempt to talk things over. I was convinced she couldn’t handle the life. You know, when Hargreaves turned up and tried to take Sophie?”
“I can understand that. Fuck, I thought that’s why she wanted to go. Mouse gettin’ hurt, Adam killed. Ella drugged along with the other women. It made sense at the time. Fuck, who’d have thought she was keepin’ somethin’ like this quiet?”
“She was shocked, ashamed, hurt. Prez, I can’t stand thinkin’ what those motherfuckers did to her.”
“We all know what pullin’ a train means.” I nod, we do. It’s not unheard of here. But only with the club whores when they’re in the mood and willing. All brothers queuing up and any hole fair game. And usually more than one at once. Our girls enjoy it, but even they wouldn’t want to be forced to do something they didn’t want to do. And particularly not if it got out of hand and violent.
“I meant what I said about the club helpin’ out. I don’t know what insurance she’s got.”
Thanking him, I take the opportunity to explain I’ve put Road on her, and the reason why. I don’t trust Tilly, and definitely not that no-good-fucker Bart. Road’s good with the women. He works part-time at the strip club and the girls love how he treats them with respect. He’s a reliable man to have around her, and competent when it comes to a fight.
Prez doesn’t hesitate to tell me he’s fine with the shit I arranged, and then he suggests a beer, which sounds fucking great.
Following him to the bar, I’m pleased the deathly silence which had descended last night seems to have broken. None of us have forgotten that Crystal and Heart are missing, and at least one of them won’t be coming back, but there’s only so much melancholy a body can take—it’s human nature to pick yourself up and get on with life. Both will remain in our thoughts, but continually hashing it out doesn’t move us along.
But there’s one thing that bothers me. “How’s Amy doin’?”
Drum looks down at the glass in his hand. “None of us have got any idea how to break this kind of news to a kid. Sam’s tried to explain that her mom’s gone to heaven, and that her dad’s in the hospital in bad shape, but fuck knows if she’s taken any of it in. It’s not easy, Brother. She’s hard to comfort, she just can’t understand. All she wants is for her mom and dad to be here.”
It’s difficult for any of us to cope with. But for a three-year-old it must be crippling. Sam’s a fucking good woman to take it all on. I tell Drum so.
“Best fuckin’ day of my life when I met her,” he muses. And he should be proud. She’s stepping up as a president’s old lady. “I’ve spoken to the lawyer,” Prez continues, changing the subject. “Heart and Crystal left everythin’ to each other. Doubt they ever imagined they could both be taken at once.”
“No provision for Amy?”
“Certainly no mention of anythin’ being left to Crystal’s mom. And no mention of who would have custody.”
I narrow my eyes. “That woman really have a claim?”
“Not while Heart’s breathin’,” Drummer growls, then reiterates, “Amy’s here on the compound and that’s where she’s stayin’. No one will be takin’ her away.”
“You got any say, Drum? You bein’ the executor and all?”
“Not officially, the lawyer’s told me. If the worst happens and we lose Heart, Amy’s future will be up to a judge.”
But even a judge wouldn’t give custody to such an unfit woman. Surely not.
Wraith steps up and get his prez’s attention. I move away to let them talk by themselves.
Inside I’m reeling. In just two days my life’s been turned upside down. I’ve lost a good friend and may be going to lose a brother. And on top of all that, all my assumptions about my old lady have done a one-eighty. There’s no way I’m not reclaiming that relationship now. I turn my back to the bar and see a couple of the sweet butts sitting ready and waiting—Allie and one of the new girls, Diva—and for the first time in months my cock doesn’t even stir. I’d been trying to fuck her out of my system. It hadn’t worked.
If I’m going to have a chance at winning her back, I’m going to have to be smart. She’s agreed to take things slow? I grin to myself. I can do that.