TRIXIE TRIED TO walk in front of me, but I grabbed her, lacing my fingers in hers. She sighed and slowed her pace to mine. She’d been off since we woke in my bed about an hour ago, but I’d expected her to be. Hell, I was proud of her for working through all she’d learned.
When that motherfucker threatened her, it took everything I had not to pull out my gun and shoot him dead on sight. The one—the only—damn reason I didn’t was because Trixie didn’t need to see that shit. I was trying to build her fucking trust, not have her screaming and running away from me.
She may not admit it, but a part of her cared for her father. He was the only family she had. It was my fucking ambition to make sure she felt like she had family with me and my club, and it felt good that I could do that for her.
The thing was, it wasn’t going to be hard. The boys already liked her, approved of her. She had yet to actually meet one of the very few ol’ ladies. I would have to change that fast because not only was I going to give her a family, but I was giving her the club—my life. But one thing at a time.
I didn’t normally eat much at my place unless it was takeout, and she needed food. Therefore, I opened the clubhouse door where the lights were blazing, but the room was fairly quiet. Two of the mouses were scurrying around, cleaning up the beer bottles and shit off the floors. They had barely anything on.
I knew the instant Trixie saw them, because she stilled next to me.
I wrapped my arm around her. “Baby, a few of the girls stay in a room in the basement.” To this, she jolted more. Shit. “It’s part of the club. The girls stay here, and we provide them protection.”
“And they fuck you.” Her voice was a tone that communicated she did not like this idea one little bit. I had to admit, I fucking liked that shit.
“They fuck the guys. Not me.” I pulled her close so her eyes were connected with mine. “Only you get to fuck me.”
She rolled her eyes like she didn’t believe me, but I was dead serious.
In a quiet tone, she asked, “What if you get bored in six months or a year or …” Her fire was there, but it was laced with a hint of sadness.
I brushed my lips against hers so softly it was a whisper. Damn, she smelled good. “Never. You’re all I need, babe.”
Her eyes went lazy, and I loved that my words did that shit to her. She wanted to believe, and that was enough for me right now. It would take me time, and I fucking sucked at being patient, but for Trixie, I’d do anything.
“Let me feed you.”
She gave a slight nod, and I pulled her toward the kitchen area of the club. It was a large room that the Army had used as a mess hall. We had tables and chairs lined around with some of the brothers up toward the front where the food was.
Our club was different than a lot around. All the brothers lived on the compound in one of the outbuildings. We didn’t have places out in the city. No, we were a family who lived, worked, and breathed together. Somehow, it all worked.
“Seriously, they cook your food, too?” Trixie questioned, noticing the mouses running around, putting eggs, bacon, and the like on the buffet.
I chuckled. “Gotta earn their keep.”
We walked up to the table loaded with brothers.
“Well, well, well, he’s already got ya moved in, Trixie?” Boner asked with a huge smile on his face.
Trixie put her hands in the pockets of her jeans, elbows out to the side. Damn, she even rocked that simple move. “For a bit.”
Boner scoffed. “Right. Spook ain’t letting you out of his bed.”
She shook her head, not acknowledging the statement, and I let it go.
“Hungry?”
She nodded.
“Let’s go.”
We walked up to the line where a house mouse gave me a sultry smile, and I swear to Christ, Trixie growled next to me. I pulled her against me and kissed her hard.
One thing this woman never had to worry about was me straying. There was no fucking way I was getting something I’d always wanted and throwing that shit away. Not happening.
“It’s all good, babe.”
She swiped at her swollen lips. “How do I know they won’t poison me?”
I laughed deep and so hard my body shook. “Babe, they poison you, they poison us, and they wouldn’t risk that shit.”
She harrumphed and picked up a plate, eyeing the woman in front of her. Her name was Pony, and she’d been with us for a few months.
I lifted my chin to her, silently communicating for her to get the fuck out of there. She wasted no time darting off.
Trixie kept scanning the space, but I said nothing. I knew she was looking for Nanette.
We grabbed our food and joined the guys.
“So, how’d it go yesterday?” Stiff asked.
Trixie’s eyes shot to mine. “You told them?”
“Babe, I tell them everything that impacts the club. Ya gotta know that.”
Her shoulders sagged a bit in defeat, and I didn’t like that shit one bit.
I turned toward her fully and continued in a lower tone, meant only for her. “Do I tell them what we do in bed? Fuck no. But, Trixie, if it puts my club on the radar, then I have to protect my family. This right here”—I motioned with my fork, encompassing the space—“is my family. I’d do anything for them, and they damn well know it. Just like you.”
While she looked down at her food, I could see the small smirk on her lips. Fucking loved that.
I replayed what happened yesterday with the Colonel, and the air in the room turned as thick as I knew it would. Trixie came to full attention, noticing the change, as well.
I finished with, “That’s why I need someone on Trixie when she’s not here.”
“On it,” Dawg said. I knew he’d take care of everything. He was good about that.
“Son of a bitch is fucking crazy. He’d do it.”, Boner said, looking at Trixie. “You’ve gotta be smart when you’re not here.”
Her eyes narrowed on him, and he lifted his hands in surrender.
“Not being a dick. I get that you can take care of yourself. What I’m saying is you know better than anyone the type of man the Colonel is. He touches you, and we all go after him.”
Surprising me, Trixie reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it. She felt it, felt the way my boys were going to protect her. Fuck yes.
All she did was nod. No snappy comebacks, no sass. Just a simple movement to let Boner know she understood.
I squeezed her hand. “What do you have planned for today?”
“Later, I need to go to Sirens, but other than that, I don’t know.”
Before I could speak, Bosco shouted, “Rematch. Poker.”
Trixie went solid.
“No tests or any of that shit. Just pure poker, even if you are a shark,” Bosco teased.
She relaxed a bit and smarted back, “You do realize I’ll beat the shit out of you.”
Bosco full-out laughed. “Oh, fuck that. You were lucky.” He didn’t believe that for a damn second, but he was playing along.
I had to admit, I loved fucking seeing my woman be so damn accepted by my brothers. It meant the fucking world to me.
THREE HOURS LATER, I sat with Trixie on my lap, which she tried to protest, but I wasn’t having it. I watched as my woman annihilated my brothers in poker. One hand after another, she wiped each of the brothers out. The best part of the whole thing was her fucking laughter after winning the hands. She impressed me so damn much, not just at poker, but the way she could read people. I needed to ask her what the hell she saw each time to know.
The last round was between Trixie and Worm. “All in,” Trixie called to Worm’s nod. He’d always been quiet, ever since joining seven years ago. He did his time earning his patch and was a man I trusted. The cards were dealt, and neither of the two gave anything off. They only stared at one another.
Every so often, I’d feel Trixie’s inner thigh muscles jump, but that was it. Finally, the cards were laid down.
“Fuck me!” Trixie yelled, sitting back into me in defeat. “Two damn pairs and he still beat me with three of a kind.” A small smile played on her lips, and I knew, as much as she didn’t like losing, she was happy. Therefore, I was happy.
“YOU KNOW, IF you do this”—Trixie pushed some buttons on my computer in my office at the shop—“then it’ll add all of that for you, and you don’t have to sit there with your calculator and do it.”
I knew this but was double-checking the computer. I wouldn’t tell her this, though. She was feeling like part of the club, getting more involved over the last couple of days. She even gave me some tips on keeping inventory at the shop tight, which I fully admit I didn’t know and ended up being a huge help. Not only did she explain it to Stiff, but she explained it to the others who were implementing it.
She told me late the other night that she didn’t feel like she was doing anything here at the club other than eat and lay around before going to work. I’d explained to her how she’d already helped so fucking much in the shop, and she liked that. I fucking liked that. Liked having her in my space.
“Thanks, babe.”
That got me a smile.
Her eyes fought back and forth with something, and then she leaned down and kissed my cheek. I grabbed the back of her hair, clutching it tight and deepening the kiss.
A knock came on the door, but I didn’t pull away as it opened.
“Spook!” my mother’s voice called.
Trixie stilled, pulling away from me and looking at my mother.
“Hey, Mom,” I said, not moving one inch from Trixie.
My mother’s eyes narrowed on Trixie, but her words were meant for me. “Didn’t know you played in the office,” she said in a clipped tone, and Trixie’s back went ramrod straight.
My mother was referring to Trixie as a house mouse, and I didn’t fucking like that one bit.
“Mom, this is Trixie. She’s no fucking mouse.”
Trixie’s eyes sliced into me in warning. I just shrugged.
My mother didn’t look convinced. “Whatever. I need to talk to you.”
The way she dismissed Trixie did not sit right with me, either. No way in fuck would I allow my mother to disrespect her. Trixie would soon have the spot in this club that my mother had held for many years. I wouldn’t allow her to diminish that power.
I pulled Trixie to my side as she tried to pull away. Not a fucking chance.
“Anything you say, you can say in front of Trixie.”
“I don’t think so,” she said dismissively, pissing me way the fuck off.
“Mother,” I snapped, and her eyes grew wide like saucers. “This is Trixie Lamasters. You remember her from my high school days.”
My mother’s mind started working, and as soon as it clicked inside her head, she stared at me in shock. She knew all about my father’s side business, even turned her head when my father broke in the girls. She’d accepted everything as it was, never stepping on my father’s toes. I never knew if she found out my bullet killed my father, though, and I’d never tell her. Sad thing was, the trust in my mother was teetering.
“Yeah, you get it now. Trixie’s mine. Don’t fucking dismiss that, Mother, or you won’t like what happens.”
“Spook,” Trixie whispered.
I shook my head. I didn’t need to hear that I was being disrespectful to my mother or any other shit that was bound to come out of her mouth. I did catch, though, that she called me Spook. She’d been doing that more when the guys were around or at the shop, leaving Cade for our time alone. Fucking loved that, too.
“Finally grew some balls and went after her,” my mother said condescendingly, making my veins boil.
Trixie wrapped her arm around mine. Loved how she knew I was about to blow and tried to calm me. While she did to a point, I was pissed as hell at my mother.
“You need to watch yourself and shut the fuck up before I ban you from here altogether.”
She waved her hand dismissively at me. “My boys won’t get rid of me,” she said with confidence, yet she had no fucking clue.
One word from me, and she would be done. The brothers only put up with her shit because she was my mother. If she kept giving them shit, they’d be in line with any decision I made.
The muscles in my arm bunched, and Trixie squeezed me to the point of pain, bringing me back from my fury.
“What do you need?” I barked.
This time, she lost a little color. “I don’t wanna talk about it in front of an audience,” she said snippily.
“Maybe I should …” Trixie started, but I pinned her with a look that shut her up quick. I didn’t know what I looked like, but it did the trick. She didn’t have a smartass comment. No, instead, she zipped her lips, turning her attention back my mother.
“No. Anything you need to say, say it.” My words were short and clipped. I felt the anger radiating off my skin.
“I …” She sighed. “I went to Fox’s table.”
My anger turned into downright rage and contempt. She fucking did not. That was not what I expected her to say, especially after the lecture I had given her. The trust teetered over into nothingness.
“What!” I roared, trying to break away from Trixie and step toward my mother, but she held me to her, not releasing me. Sure, I could have made her, but I didn’t. Instead of wringing my mother’s fucking neck, I talked. “You owe him, you’ll be on your back.”
Trixie watched the exchange with vivid fascination. I remembered she didn’t have a mother, so she probably didn’t get that I was at my end with mine.
My mother reached into her large, black bag and pulled out an envelope. “I got you your money back. It’ll be the last time I go. I’m giving it up,” she said, holding out the envelope and stepping closer.
I took it from her and opened it as Trixie released me, noting quite a bit of cash there.
“You went to the table that I told you to stay the fuck away from to bring me this?” Normal people would probably be grateful to have their money back, but I wasn’t “normal.” I couldn’t fucking believe she went back there after putting my club through shit to clean up her mess.
Trixie didn’t know the whole story, and I was sure the little bit she was getting from this conversation wouldn’t fill her in.
My mother stumbled. “I … I thought you’d be happy I got your money back.”
Time to clue Trixie in.
“No, Mother,” I clipped. “What if you fucking lost? Would you be coming to me to bail you out … again? I told you—no, I fucking ordered you to stay away from the tables, and you fucking did whatever the hell you wanted like always.” I tossed the money back at her. “I’m fucking done with this shit. I’m done cleaning up your mess when you don’t give a flying shit about me or my brothers. You take this money. It’s the fucking last bit you’re getting from me or the club. I tried to get through to you, but you don’t get it, so I’m cutting you off. No more money from the club, no more support. None of us are getting you out of trouble.”
Trixie took a deep breath, and my mother’s face turned almost green. I didn’t like this shit. I didn’t like having to do it. But I’d warned her, and once again, she didn’t listen.
“You can—”
“Six months You prove to me and the club you’re turning shit around, then we’ll talk. Once—just once—you go to Fox during that time, and we will cease to exist to you. Got me?”
My mother nodded, and a tear rolled down her cheek. I wouldn’t let it affect me again. I needed to protect my club, my life, and Trixie’s.
“I’m sorry, Spook,” she said softly, and for the first time, I actually believed her.
She turned and walked out the door.
Trixie’s gaze penetrated mine as I breathed deep, bringing myself down from the anger. I didn’t like doing that to my mother, but it had to be done.
“Why did you do that?” Trixie asked quietly.
I moved around to my desk chair and sat with a thud. I rubbed my hands over my face and head. “Couldn’t do it anymore. She’s always bringing shit to me, and it was enough. She’s dragging not only me, but my brothers into it. It had to stop, and the only way to do that was to pull the rug out from underneath her.”
“But you didn’t really. You let her keep whatever was in that envelope.”
I smiled at my girl. She was so damn observant.
“Yeah, couldn’t send her out empty.”
She came around to my chair and wedged herself between my legs. I brought my hands instantly to her hips.
“You’re a good man, Cade Baker.” She smiled. “I mean, Spook.” She bent down and kissed me. For the first time, I let her lead, and it was spectacular.