Chapter Thirty
When they arrived at the club the next evening, Stacey was sitting behind Troy on the back of his bike, just where she belonged. He loved having her arms around his waist and her snuggled against his back, holding him tight. He could definitely get used to this.
Too bad she probably wouldn’t give him the chance.
It was ten o’clock, and she would normally be heading to bed about now, but it was early for a club meet. The party wouldn’t really get going until after midnight. Which worked out well, because no doubt she’d want to leave well before things got crazy.
When they rode up the driveway and parked in front of the club, the brothers let out a cheer. He got off the bike, helped Stacey off, and undid her helmet.
They walked inside the club into the large common room. “Everyone, this is my old lady, Stacey,” he announced.
His statement was met with hoots and animal noises, and he looked at her to see how she was coping. Her eyes were agog, but not at the brothers, who mostly wore denim jeans and T-shirts with their cuts. He followed to where her gaze had landed.
Many of the brothers had women with them. Some of the girls were wearing cut-off denim shorts and tank tops with large, loose, open sides that let their breasts show through. Others were already down to their mini shorts and micro bikini tops, dancing seductively together.
There was a stripper pole on the stage, and one of the girls was upside down, spreading her legs while wearing the minutest of G-strings.
The whores hadn’t even arrived yet.
“I think I’m overdressed,” Stacey said with a nervous giggle.
“You stay that way. I’m not sharing the sight of your gorgeous body with anyone.” He bent and kissed her cheek. She was wearing a little black sleeveless dress and heels. With her long blonde hair worn down, and her big innocent blue eyes, she looked delicious.
Putting his arm around her waist, he steered her down a long corridor and out the back door into the large courtyard where Mom and Pa stood. He thought he’d better start her off with the two people she knew. But before he could reach them, other brothers crowded around, wanting to meet her.
“Beast, your woman is beautiful,” Pervert said, staring at Stacey’s breasts.
He reached out and tilted Pervert’s face upward. Thankfully, he had warned her about their dubious manners. And their nicknames. “Meet Pervert,” he said.
“Figures,” she said. “Hi, Pervert.”
Pervert grinned.
There was heavy metal music playing, and the beer was flowing. A whole pig was roasting on a spit outside, filling the air with the scent of pork and smoke. Snake was working his tail off on the outside bar managing the new prospects. Pa sure knew how to punish a guy.
By the time he’d introduced Stacey to Donut and Dick, Catfish, Crotch and Crowbar, Dirtbag, Knob and Lug Nut, he was thirsty. He finally made a path through the crowd to Mom and Pa. “Keep an eye on Stacey, please,” he said to his parents. “I’m going to get her a drink.”
He strode over to the bar toward Snake, who went for the whiskey bottle the moment he saw him. “I’ll have a beer, and a glass of white wine for Stacey.”
“Not on the hard stuff?” Snake asked.
“Staying sober. I have a fiancée I intend to look after,” he said, driving home his point.
Snake poured the drinks. “I fucking miss Lizzie.”
“When I saw Lizzie’s apartment trashed, I thought something really bad had happened to her. Would have helped to know you two had fought,” Troy said pointedly.
“You think I want Razor knowing I upset his daughter that much? He’s close to gutting me as it is.”
“He already knows everything,” Troy said, disgusted.
“I didn’t know Lizzie would do a runner,” Snake said. “You heard from her?”
“No. She’s still pissed at me for dangling Stacey over my veranda in front of Psycho. Her screams got Lizzie on the phone, though.”
“Think it’ll work a second time?” Snake said, looking hopefully at Stacey.
Troy picked up his beer and Stacey’s glass of wine. “I could feed your balls to Psycho. That might work.”
Snake’s mustache wilted. “Lizzie will never forgive me, will she?”
“Doubtful. You made a real ass of yourself.”
It hit him how lucky he was that Stacey had forgiven him. He turned his back on Snake and sauntered back to her. He could see Mom, her face animated, chatting with her, and he knew things would be okay.
He handed her the glass of wine.
“Honey,” Mom said, “I know you’ve been looking for a wedding venue. I spoke to your cousin, Jean-Paul, and he’s offered to have the wedding on his plantation.”
For a microsecond, Troy froze. Crap! Involving more family would make it even more hurtful to back out when the time came. But obviously, his mother wasn’t going to let up about the wedding.
“Baby, would you like that?” Troy asked Stacey, hoping she’d say no, but knowing she wouldn’t.
“You’re lucky to have such a wonderful property in the family,” she said. “From Georgia’s description, it sounds like something out of Gone with the Wind.”
“Minus the slaves,” he said. “Thank goodness times change. Now Pa likes to turn bikers into his slaves.” He glanced over at Snake.
Pa followed his gaze and stared mean-eyed at Snake. “I want your sister home.”
“Me, too,” Troy said. He needed to convince Pa to give amnesty to Animal, or they’d never get Lizzie back home. She’d made that clear. However, it wasn’t a subject to raise now.
“Maybe your wedding is the way to do it,” Mom said. “Surely, she’d come home for that, darling.”
“I don’t know,” Troy said. “She’s made it pretty clear she wants space from the family.”
“Brian would bring Lizzie to my wedding if he knew it was safe,” Stacey said, looking straight at Pa, her voice loud and clear.
Hawg waddled over to join them, barging in before Pa could answer. “Your brother’s a traitor, plain and simple,” he said to Stacey. “He disobeyed his president. He was told to stay away from Lizzie. The president’s orders and the business of the club come before anything else. You haven’t been here long enough to understand that.”
“Maybe not,” Stacey said, “but I know my brother is treating Lizzie well, which is more than I can say about the man Pa thought was suitable, the man who broke her heart.”
“Leave it, Stacey,” Troy said. “I’ll deal with this later.”
Her eyes flashed with anger. “Why? Because women can’t have a voice? You all love Lizzie, but you have to understand, I love and miss my brother just as much. Brian helped Lizzie when she needed it most. He’s not a bad man. I lost my father two weeks ago, and I don’t have anyone here except you, Troy. I want my brother back.”
“You have us, honey,” Mom said gently to Stacey.
“No, Georgia, I don’t. I could love you like a mother. You’re everything Troy says you are.” Stacey turned to Pa. “I could even come to care for you, Pa, because you’re Troy’s father. But I want my brother alive and safe, and you’re the only one who can fix that.”
Hawg loomed over her angrily. “You’re nobody. You don’t get to question the president.”
Troy was about to tell Hawg to back the hell off, but Stacey spoke up.
“You’re wrong. If Pa is going to be my father-in-law, I have to be able to talk to him and have him listen, or we won’t have a relationship. But I don’t answer to you, Hawg, and I never will.”
Hawg’s brows creased in a nasty line.
Mom raised her eyebrows, doubtless surprised at Stacey’s gutsy words. “Well, that’s telling you, Hawg.”
Stacey turned back to Pa, ignoring Hawg’s menacing look. “I’m not questioning you, Pa. I’m asking you to forgive Brian for helping your daughter instead of obeying you. I know you thought Snake was the man for Lizzie, but sometimes people we trust let us down.”
“You got that right,” Pa said.
“I don’t like the way Snake has hurt my little girl. Honey, can you fix this?” Mom asked Pa, putting a hand softly on his burly arm. “I know you haven’t told me everything, but can you do this, so we can get Lizzie back?”
Pa looked from her to Snake, to Stacey, and back to Mom.
“All right. I’ll grant Animal amnesty,” Pa said. “If it’ll bring Lizzie home, that’ll be a wedding gift for all of us.”
“Oh, thank you, Pa! That means the world to me,” Stacey said, giving Troy’s father a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Troy watched, amused. No one hugged Pa except Mom. But amazingly, he didn’t seem to mind. Stacey had a way of breaking down barriers.
Troy breathed a deep sigh of relief. He looked at his watch, checking to see if half an hour had passed so he could get his sassy-mouthed woman home.
Hawg grunted in obvious disapproval. But a dozen witnesses had heard Pa’s edict, so he wouldn’t dare go against it.
“Congratulations,” the VP said grudgingly to Troy. “Never thought you’d get hooked up before me. Enjoy your chains.” His mean little eyes flicked over Stacey.
“You’ve got twenty years on me,” Troy said. “What happened? No one want a big fella like you?”
“I’m waiting for Georgia to get rid of this old bastard,” Hawg nudged Pa.
Mom laughed, put her arm around Hawg, and kissed his cheek. It was a close friendship, and Troy believed Hawg cared for his mother, which for some reason didn’t piss off Pa.
“You’re better looking than I am, Hawg, but she still chose me,” Pa said. “The best man won.”
“True,” Hawg nodded agreeably, and Pa grinned.
The tension seemed to dissipate.
“Want to go home now?” Troy asked Stacey, keen to get her out of the meet.
“Are you kidding? Sounds like Georgia has found a great place for our wedding, and Pa’s going to let Brian come home. So far, I’m having a pretty good time. Let’s go and meet more of your friends.”
Troy groaned inwardly. He was definitely going to have to stay sober. Either that or gag Stacey.
It was going to be a long night.