CHAPTER FOUR
LIP
Sitting on the couch, I run my hands back and forth through my hair. My head is swimming with confusion this morning. I’ve fucked dozens of women, but I’ve never felt whatever that was last night before. I’ve taken Bull’s and Shadow’s advice and tried not to come off like a fucking Neanderthal toward Cherry. ‘Cause really, all I wanted to do last night was bend her over my bed and fuck her stupid. But I didn’t; I was gentle. She’s so feisty, but deep down that heart of hers is made of a fragile element. She’s alone and has nobody to depend on. There’s something about her that draws me in. Maybe it’s the depths of sadness that pool in her eyes when she thinks I’m not looking. That alone makes me want to have mercy on her.
My compassion for her makes me step over the boundaries I usually set with other women. I blame her misery on my piqued interest in her. Leaning my head on the back of the couch, I sigh loudly. I don’t need this bullshit. This is going to confuse things badly. I have an omission, an undisclosed predicament that will drive more than a dagger in Cherry’s naïve heart when it’s revealed. Clenching my teeth, I stand. I’m an outlaw, a fucking outcast to society. I live by my own rules and thrive on my own demands; it’s what’s kept me alive so far. I need to set aside my infatuation and get focused.
Walking into my room, she’s just waking up, her freckled perky tits flashing briefly before she covers them up. Images of me sucking on those last night string behind my eyes, giving me morning wood.
“Nice rack.” I grin as her cheeks flush crimson. I love embarrassing her, saying something brazen just to watch her cheeks turn a sexy shade of pink.
“Here.” I toss the phone on the bed.
“What’s this?” She peers up at me.
“You need to call your brother. Didn’t you say you had a brother? You are obviously alone and need someone. Call him,” I suggest, my tone harsh.
She shakes her head and looks to the floor. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”
“Why?”
“Things are complicated between him and —”
“Call him. Figure it out,” I interrupt.
She nods, running her thumb along the phone.
“I got church, but I’ll be back later.”
“Okay.” She smiles up at me, and my chest burns. I gotta get the fuck out of here.
Riding to the club this morning, I think about how things with Cherry have escalated and how quickly. Me caring for her, taking her in. When I’m around Cherry, I feel sane, like I got my shit together. It’s opened a side of me I thought was smashed by my father.
I ride into the parking lot and back my bike into its spot. Bobby rides in behind me and parks next to me.
“Morning, brother,” Bobby greets. I nod at him and put my bike on her stand. “You all right?”
I shrug. “Never better.”
Heading into the club, Bull walks out of his room, a tight-ass little blonde following behind him.
“Let’s do this, boys,” Bull calls the patched-in members to the chapel, and I sit on my stool, just in case they need me for something. Hawk, our oldest member, grumbles as he follows them in.
“This shit is too early.” Locks points at Bull, a cigarette between his fingers. Locks is the VP, and a prick. He’s one I’m not sure I can come to like even if it means my patch or not. He has an ol’ lady named Babs and he’s more than a fucking prick to her. Don’t get me wrong; I have a reputation of being an asshole amongst some of the club hoes myself. I’ve thrown a half-naked chick out of one of the club rooms. Turned one down to fuck another with bigger tits. Shoved a bitch’s face into a bed for talking too much while I fucked her. All of it. But I’d never disrespect a woman I owned.
“So, how are things with you and the little redhead?” Bobby asks, drinking milk right from the gallon. I swipe it from him and take a big swig, ignoring him. “You fuck her yet?” he prods.
I normally go into great detail about the girls I fuck, but for some reason I never thought about sharing how I fucked Cherry.
Bobby’s eyes widen as he wipes the milk mustache from his lips.
“Oh, damn. That good, huh?”
I level him with a look of anger.
“He got him some of the stuck-up pussy, and now he’s whipped.” Shadow laughs, sitting down beside me.
My fists clench. I’m not sure if I’m angry with them or her, though. I inhale a breath and try to shake it from my head. “She’s just a chick,” I tell them, but really I’m telling myself that. Cherry is getting under my skin deep, and it’s got me feeling things I don’t know if I want to feel.
“Yeah, I fucked her. Freckles everywhere.” I turn the milk carton and muster a smirk.
“Man, I love the ones that have ‘em on their tits. She have ‘em on her tits?” Bobby asks. The doors to the chapel swing open and the brothers walk out.
“Lip, Bull wants you.” Locks jerks his thumb over his shoulder.
“Uh-oh.” Bobby chuckles, and I flip him the bird and head into the chapel.
“Shut the door, son,” Bull orders. I do as told and sit in a chair. “Cherry, how is she?” he asks.
“Good. Why?” I ask.
“She’s from Golds Trailer park. Keep her away from there.” I try to think of where the fuck that is; if it’s the place I’m thinking, it’s miles from here. That place is trash, and dangerous. Jeez, no wonder Cherry is the way she is.
“How come?”
Bull raises an eyebrow. I know I’m a prospect and not supposed to ask questions, but I did anyway.
“Got some rival gangs from there, and we don’t need the trouble.”
I nod.
“You’re a good prospect, Lip. I see a patch coming your way soon,” Bull states. I smile; the thought of belonging to this club is an accomplishment I can’t wait to achieve.
“The Devil is in my blood. I’d wear the colors with pride.”
“I’m going to look at an SUV for the club today, so why don’t you ride along. We have a local club meeting us before. You do well, you can come with us when we go on our big run in a few weeks.”
“You mean the one near Nevada?” The boys have been talking about it for weeks. Potential suppliers for AK-47s.
“That’s the one.”
“Yeah, I’m in.” I stand, my palms sweating.
“Good.”
CHERRY
I look at the phone, debating on calling my brother. I bite my lip, unsure. Maybe I can call and see if there’s been any suspicious activity. If there has been, I won’t call him again. That’s it, that’s what I’ll do.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Tyler.”
“Lindsay! Where have you been?” His frantic voice makes tears prick my eyes.
“Things have gotten out of control with Eric and the lawyers. You know how I told you that I found the judge being paid off?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, he has people in his pockets, and they tried to kill me. I’ve been living in my car.” I’m crying now.
“Fuck, Lindsay, why didn’t you come to me?”
“‘Cause I didn’t want to lead them to you.”
“Nobody has been here. Are you sure you’re not overreacting?”
I growl into the phone. “I’m sure.”
“Wait- how do you have a cell phone?”
“This guy, he picked me up on the side of the road. He’s really nice—too nice, maybe. He asked me to stay with him, so I’m laying low here.”
“Too nice, huh. You know when they say that, that means something is wrong.”
“Yeah, he is really persistent.” I laugh. “Don’t worry, he has a flaw: he really doesn’t like kids.” My head falls with the thought.
“Um, that’s a problem, right?” His tone comes out low.
“Not really. I mean, as much as I don’t want to admit it, I’ve lost Piper, and I can’t do anything about it. If I do, I’ll be killed.” Saying those words, my heart literally feels like it’s being torn in two. I hate myself for not being able to do more with my current situation; being backed into a corner without a safe move forward is a feeling of helplessness I can’t overcome.
The phone goes silent.
“You’re probably right, Lindsay. I know you love your daughter, and I’m not saying give up on her. I love her, too. But if you really think someone is after you, you should let this shit blow over before you try to get her back.”
I nod because I know he’s right. It’s just hard to accept.
“We should meet up,” he suggests.
“You think it’s safe?” My eyebrows rise.
“What part of town are you staying in?”
“I’m near the docks, I know that. I can hear and smell the ocean.”
“Yeah, I think you’re far enough away that nobody would recognize you, and that’s if anyone is even after you,” Tyler ensures. “I think maybe they were sent to spook you more than anything, make you keep quiet about the judge and all.”
“Well, it worked. I’m scared to death,” I mutter.
“You want me to come get you? You can stay with me, ya know.”
I look down at my hands and sigh. “I know,” I whisper.
“You’re not going to, are you?”
I don’t reply. I don’t know what this is between Lip and me, but I want to find out. Not only that but if Tyler’s wrong and the judge is after me, he’ll find me quickly if I’m around that area.
“This guy you’re with, be careful, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Love you, shithead.” He laughs, breaking me from my thoughts.
“Love you, turd licker.”
LIP
We ride out of town for the potential suppliers. I have no clue where we’re going, but I don’t care. My palms are sweating and my heart is beating like a fucking beast. This is my test, to show Bull and the club if I’m worthy to be a Devil. Loyalty and respect are something that swims in my DNA, and I need my pack that shares the same dominance. I need that brotherhood, that family that would do anything for one another. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have it growing up, fuck if I know. All I know is being patched into the Devil’s Dust, being called a brother… that’s all I want in life right now, and if I fuck this up, I won’t have it.
We pull up to a warehouse in the middle of nowhere. No grass, no houses, not shit. Just desert and some aluminum-sided warehouse. I blow out a ragged breath, trying to compose myself. Maybe I should ask Bull for a cigarette, calm my fucking nerves before I have a heart attack.
I pull in behind Locks and park my bike.
A middle-aged guy in a sleeveless flannel shirt walks out of the door to the shitty warehouse, a couple of armed men standing behind him.
I swipe my sunglasses from my face, searching the area for anything suspicious.
“Devil’s fucking Dust,” the guy chimes.
“Bart,” Bull greets, his tone anything but welcoming.
“You looking for good weed, we got it.” The guy holds his hands out wide, as if this trashy warehouse is gold or some shit.
“Yeah, let me be the judge of that,” Bull sneers.
Bart loses his smile and opens the door to the warehouse. Walking in, there are tables lined with Ziploc bags and scales. Along the back of the warehouse are crates and lights hanging from the ceiling. There aren’t any marijuana plants in sight, though, so this isn’t the main warehouse where he grows. This is just where he packages.
“This is my top shit.” Bart points at some dime bags on a nearby table.
I walk over to the supply and open a bag. The smell isn’t strong. I glance inside the bag and notice more seed than bud. My father taught me all I needed to know about marijuana, coke, the quickest way to kill a man—the list goes on.
“It’s ditch weed,” I state, shuffling the bag around. Bull lifts an eye at Bart and grabs the bag from me.
“Excuse me?” Bart quips, his tone coming off as if I’ve insulted him.
“It’s not top-notch. I can grow better weed out of a pot in my kitchen window.” I raise a brow at Bart, waiting for him to fucking lie to my face.
Bull inspects the green and hands it to Locks as I walk over to the table behind this one and find more bags. I open one and the smell of earthy tones nearly knocks me off my feet. It’s good. Really fucking good. This is no ditch weed.
“Yeah, it’s shit,” Locks agrees.
“So, that’s your best shit, huh?” I toss the bag of good weed to Bull. He scrunches his face in question as he catches it. “Open that one,” I encourage.
Bull opens it and instantly pins Bart with a death glare. “You trying to hustle me bad weed?”
“I mean, you gotta work up, you know?” Bart chuckles and I grit my teeth. I’ve had enough of his fucking lies and hustling, as I know Bull has, too. If I want to prove myself, now is the time to do it.
I pull my gun from my waistband and put it to the back of Bart’s head.
“Do you know who you’re fucking with? We don’t work up to nothing,” I seethe. Our club is the biggest in LA, we have a reputation, and we’ve worked hard for over the years. “Your disrespect for my club is going to put you in the ground,” I promise.
“Whoa! Whoa!” Bart holds his hands up in surrender.
“My boy is right, Bart. Do you know who you’re fucking with? Lying to my face is not something I take lightly,” Bull explains.
“Okay, okay, how about we give you a couple blocks of Betsy, and for a third of the cost?”
I look at Bull, waiting for his direction.
“This Betsy?” Bull points at the good bag of weed.
“Ye-yeah, yeah,” Bart stammers.
“Okay, deal. But you try and give me anything less, I’ll have Lip here shoot you in the fucking foot,” Bull threatens.
Bart nods, rolling his lips on top of each other out of fear. For a drug dealer, he sure is a pussy.
“Grow some balls, man,” I insult, taking the barrel of my gun away from his head.
Bull laughs and pats me on the back. I smirk; it feels good to be in his good graces. As a kid, some local thugs cornered my father once. I grabbed his gun from his motorcycle and took aim, threatening the punks. They ran away in seconds. My dad was not impressed, said I should have pulled the trigger. I never made his fucking ass happy.
“Get my shit together, Bart.” Bull points at Bart as we head out of the warehouse.
“You did good, son. You’re on that run for sure.”
I smile and climb on my bike. This right here, this is the life I long for. Guns, drugs, and violence, but most of all respect. I do what I love and I get respect in the end. This is the only life I know. I’m a sinner. A Devil at heart. I’d make my father smile and my mother pray if they saw me today.
***
“So, this is the newest model?” Bull points at the black SUV. He doesn’t seem impressed, though. After the deal, the boys went back to the club while Bull and I headed over to the local dealership to find the club an SUV.
I glance inside the vehicle and shrug. I’m not fond of the model, either.
“Too much money for standard shit,” I add.
“Think I agree,” Bull growls.
I stand up straight, done with looking at the SUV, and spot a cherry red VW beetle across the way. The color of it makes me think of Cherry. I stride over toward it and peer in. It’s plain, nothing special, but it’s girly. I don’t know why the fuck I’m looking at this, why I’m thinking about Cherry, but even with all the events of the day, I can’t shake her from the back of my head.
I bet she’s never had anything this nice before. A piece of me wants to be the one to give her something nice. It wouldn’t be much, though—it looks used.
“Um… Lip.” Bull’s ugly mug looks at me from the driver’s side window. I stand up and he rests his arms on the roof of the car.
“I’m not sure it’s your color, brother.” He smirks. I roll my eyes and walk away.
“You getting that SUV or not?”
“Not,” Bull clips, walking toward his bike.
I went back and bought that fucking car for Cherry. I cursed myself the whole time, walked away at least twice, and tore the contract up in pure panic once. But in the end, Bobby drove it back to my place. Then I gave him shit for the car looking good on him.
CHERRY
“Cherry, come here!” Lip yells from the front door, his voice anxious and alarming. My brows furrow and I hurry out the front door, finding Lip standing next to a bright red beetle. Holy shit!
“What the fuck is that?” I point at the car. I don’t know what the hell that is, or better yet, why the hell it’s sitting in the driveway, but it better not be for me.
“It’s yours.” He smiles, and my stomach falls.
“Mine?” I point at myself.
“Yeah. Come check it out.” He beams like a little boy. I bite my bottom lip and tiptoe down the hot cement steps. He opens the passenger door and gestures for me to check it out, so I cross my arms and lower my head to look in. It’s beautiful, and it even has a hint of that new car smell. The windows are automatic, and I bet the air conditioner even works. It must have cost a lot.
I stand up straight and shake my head.
“No, I can’t.” I can’t accept this. I don’t need this.
“Too late. It’s bought. It’s yours.” He dangles the keys in front of me. Emotion rises, causing a painful ache to fill my chest. I’ve never had anything this nice before; I’ve never had anyone as nice as Lip in my life before. I don’t deserve it.
“I have a car,” I defend.
“That is not a car; it’s a fucking sled. Actually, I think I’ve seen sleds in better shape,” he insults. I roll my eyes and place my hands on my hips.
“Why?” I shrug and throw up my hands, tears filling my eyes. I don’t understand why this guy I barely know would do this for me.
His face softens, and he steps around the door. He cups my chin and grabs my hip, bringing me close.
“Cherry. I thought you’d like it.” His voice is low and rough, and my body spikes with arousal.
“I mean I do, but I don’t understand why you would get it for me. You don’t know me; I could be the worst person in the world.” I can’t help but chuckle. I’m saying this to a member of the Devil’s Dust.
“I bought it ‘cause I wanted to. I don’t need a damn reason to buy you something.” He pauses and blows out a tired breath.
“Yeah, but it had to cost a fortune.” God, she’s beautiful, though.
Lip shrugs. “It was money from my father’s will, and it’s good to know his fucking life was good for something,” he scoffs. I shake my head and look down at my feet. I’m not sure what to even say to that. Lip obviously hates his father, so I guess we have something in common. “When I saw the bright red, it made me think of you.” My eyes flick from the car to him. He thinks of me? I’m not crazy. I’m not the only one sitting around thinking about the other.
“You think of me?” I blurt before thinking.
He smirks something adorable and rests his hands on top of the car door.
“I mean…” He pauses, looking at me with heavy eyes. “Yes, I think of you, and I can’t wrap my damn head around why.”
My eyes widen and my mouth parts.
“I love the way your lips part like that.” He steps up to me and feathers his index and middle fingers across my mouth. “You do it a lot, like you always have something to say. The way your upper lip perks, and your bottom lip drops in that sexy way, it does something to me,” he whispers, his head slowly dipping toward mine. I close my eyes, and my breath hitches in my throat.
His lips peck at mine, simple and sweet, my lips still parted. He kisses me again, this time more demanding and feverous. A fire sparks inside of my chest, my body an inferno of lust. I may dissolve into ash if I don’t feel the touch of him against me instantly. He smothers my insecurities, douses the walls I’ve built to protect myself. He makes me feel like it’s okay to open up and feel, to depend on another. I wrap my arms around his neck and hook a leg around him. He bites at my bottom lip and trails his lips across my jaw, his scruff burning my delicate skin. My breathing becomes labored, and my panties dampen. He nudges us toward the car then turns and sits down on the passenger seat, pulling me on top of his lap.
“All I’ve thought about today is my dick being inside of you,” he whispers, pushing my top up over my head. My breathing quickens, and my eyes search his hungry ones. My tits pop out of my bra, the nipples hardening as he runs his calloused palms along them. I loll my head back and sigh from his sinister touch.
“Damn, you’re perfect,” he whispers. Leaning forward, he sucks one of my beaded nipples into his mouth, the warmth shooting pleasurable sensations down to my toes. My fingers fumble to undo his pants; I need him to fill me, to bring me to the brink of oblivion. He shuffles them down to his knees, and just as eagerly, I pull my shorts and panties down to my ankles. I press each knee on either side of his hips and slowly lower myself onto his pierced length. The seatbelt buckle digs into my leg as his cock buries itself to the hilt. The heat of the summer makes sweat trickle down my back, and Lip’s shirt dampens from the sweat beading on his hard chest.
My head falls back and a sigh spills from my mouth as he fills me. A feral grunt leaves him as he drives into me with his hard cock.
“Fuck yes,” Lip hisses, his fingers digging into my hips to bring me up and down on top of his hardness. He leans forward and nips at the soft tissue of my breast, and my pussy clamps down on him in response. A low moan vibrates through my chest as he thrusts into me. I rock my hips and impale my nails into his shoulders. Knowing anyone could walk by and catch us makes sensations throughout my body awaken. I push myself up and down faster, wanting that feeling of bliss to overcome me. Lip runs his hands up my back and buries his face between my breasts. I hold onto his head, the hair soft and entwined between my fingers, his hips meeting each of my thrusts.
I feel at peace right now. Being so close to Lip, him inside of me, I feel like nothing in the world matters right now. Pressure builds in my core, and intense tingles rocket through my limbs.
“Lip,” I mutter, swirling my hips, his piercing hitting me just right.
“Cher-ry,” he draws my name out, filling me as he falls over the edge with me.
I fall against his sweaty chest, my head rising and falling with each of his heavy breaths.
“Does this mean you’ll take the car?” Lip pants. I smile and push myself up.
“I’m paying you back for this,” I insist.
Lip shakes his head and runs his hands through his sweaty hair.
“Fine, you can pay me back.” He grabs my hips and rocks me, a sultry smirk across his face.
Movement catches my eyes from the back window of the car.
“Shit!” I whisper, ducking into Lip’s neck.
“What is it?” Lip whispers back. The loud exhaust of a motorcycle sounds, and Lip’s eyes go wide.
“That.” I tilt my head toward the sound. Lip holds me in place and looks out the car door.
“Shit, it’s Bobby,” Lip grumbles. I pull myself off Lip’s length and frantically start looking for my top.
“Here.” Lip hands me my shirt. I snatch it from him and put it on, using the other hand to pull my shorts and panties up.
Lip picks me up at the waist and moves me aside as he climbs out. I glance around the side of the car and find Bobby is sitting against his bike, his arms crossed and a knowing smirk fitting his face.
“Sup, Bobby?” Lip levels him with a death stare.
Bobby juts out his chin, eyeing me. “You ain’t busy, are you?” Bobby smiles a Cheshire grin.
Lip looks at me then back at Bobby. “Not anymore.”
Bobby steps forward, his hand out stretched.
“I don’t think I’ve met you yet. I’m Bobby,” he introduces.
I muster a smile and shake his hand. “I’m-”
“Her name is Cherry,” Lip interrupts me. I furrow my brows, not sure why he keeps telling everyone that.
“Cherry, got it.” Bobby nods.
Silence fills the air. Awkward, uncomfortable silence.
“I, um, I’m going to just wait inside,” I mutter.
“I’ll be there in a bit,” Lip states, then turns to Bobby. “Dude, what the fuck?” he gripes.
“Forgot your paperwork and shit, brother.” Bobby chuckles.
I open the front door, and close it…most of the way.
“She’s fucking hot!” Bobby shakes his head, his brows raised.
Lip crosses his arms, and a smug look crosses his face.
“She is. Makes me wonder why she’s even fucking the likes of me.” My heart saddens with that statement; why would he say that?
“Looked to me like she had no problem with it.” Bobby smirks, and my cheeks turn red.
Lip punches Bobby in the arm, and Bobby scowls.
“I won’t cock-block ya any longer, brother, just wanted you to get this.” Bobby hands him some rolled-up paperwork.
“You didn’t.” Lip’s voice comes cocky and self-assured as he grabs the paperwork.
I gently close the door and sigh. He’s so arrogant, and such a smart ass. I can’t tell if I love that about him or absolutely hate it. He bought me a fucking car even though I’ve only known him for a few days. What the hell? Things are moving way too fast. He’s so persistent and comes on so strong at times. I roll my eyes, fighting with myself. But if he didn’t come on so strongly, would I have even given him the time of day?
The door opens and I shuffle forward to keep out of the way.
“Forgot the paperwork,” Lip informs, tossing it on the end table.
“Lip, about that. You don’t think this,” I gesture my hand between us, “is moving too quickly?” Lip bites at his lip ring, his brown eyes find mine, and his brows pull together.
“Maybe, but it makes sense to me. You’re sexy, you’re fun, and despite that spit-fire attitude you portray, when I look in your eyes, I can see you cracking under that hard shell. You’ve been strong for so long you just want to be weak for one goddamn moment. You crave human contact, but are too afraid to trust anyone enough to let them in. Well, you can trust me.” His eyes go hard and his body puffs out. I draw in a deep breath as my chest constricts with adoration. “You don’t have to be strong around me. You don’t have to look over your shoulder when I’m around.”
I blink rapidly, trying to keep from crying. He steps forward and grabs me by the back of the neck.
“You’re with the Devil’s Dust now, Cherry; we do things out of the social norm. We make our own rules, we run our own society. We live fast and ride hard. Think you can live like that?”
My eyes trail from his hard chest to his eyes. “I know nothing about your rules or society, Lip,” I answer honestly.
“It’s easy.” He shrugs. “Respect all members, including ol’ ladies. Have each other’s back no matter what. No lying, no stealing, and no cheating on one another. Live free, ride daily, fuck often.”
I smile; it sounds like a fucking dream. My head is buzzing with all this info. I close my eyes and breathe in deeply, trying to process it all.
“I’m starving. I’m going to whip us up something,” Lip states, obviously done with this conversation.
“I’m going to shower then.”
Later that night, Lip made some kind of amazing pasta. I don’t know what the hell was in it, but oh my God, it was good.
***
My eyes begin to get heavy with sleep as we watch TV, and I yawn loudly.
“I’m beat, let’s get some sleep,” Lip suggests.
“Sounds like a great idea,” I mutter, untangling myself from the couch. I zombie-walk toward my room, but when I’m a few feet from my door, Lip grabs my hand, tugging me toward his. Butterflies swarm my stomach as a smile creeps along my face. He tucks us into bed and pulls me into him. Man, falling asleep next to him every night sounds fucking amazing. Living his life sounds amazing. I frown, realizing I don’t know much about the club.
“Lip?” I whisper.
“Yeah?”
“What happens if someone doesn’t follow the rules of the club?”
“For you, not much. For me, it can be brutal. Could be anything from getting my ass kicked, to having Bull fire a round into my leg, or the worst: being out-banned.”
“What is-”
“Out-banned is me getting my colors stripped and thrown out of the club.” Lip’s face goes pale, and his eyes look grave. “If that ever happened, they might as well kill me. Devil’s Dust is all I know.” His tone is incredibly somber.
“How long have you been here?”
“I dunno; a while, I guess. My brother hates it ‘cause he thinks I’m going against the family being here. In a way, I am.” He smirks and runs his hands through his hair. I don’t respond in fear of him shutting up and not telling me anymore. “My father has an MC he wanted me to be a part of based out of Las Vegas, but I’d never join it. It’s sinister and immoral. It knows nothing of the word family, and the fucked-up part is it’s mostly my family,” he explains. “Growing up, I was no stranger to the criminal way of life. When he got caught moving coke, he tried to get my mother to take the fall. That was the separation of our father-son relationship. My mother was his ol’ lady, but she was my mom. She refused to take the fall for my father, said he’d been sleeping around with her best friend and wouldn’t go to prison for someone who had no respect for her. My father was killed before he ever had a hearing and my uncle took over, making my brother Zeek president of the Sin City Outlaws.”
Wow, I thought my life was Hell, but it seems Lip was from the same part of Hell where I was raised.
“Damn,” I whisper. “My mother left when I was a baby. My father wasn’t father of the year, either. He hit me. A lot. Eventually, I left, and while I was gone, he did us all a favor and ran off with some woman.”
Lip grabs my chin, making me look him square in the eyes, his sudden movements catching me off-guard.
“If anyone ever touches you like that, you come to me. Do you understand?” he questions, the colors of his eyes turning a shade darker.
“Ye-yeah,” I stammer nervously. “Sure.” He exhales an angry breath, his hand swiping through his hair. I cross my arms, not sure what to say.
“You said something about ol’ ladies. Is that what I am now, why you call me Cherry instead of Lindsay?”
Lip’s chest stills like he stopped breathing. “Um, no. Being a brother’s ol’ lady is like marrying a chick in our world.”
My eyes widen. “Oh.”
“I need my colors before I can have an ol’ lady anyway,” Lip continues.
“I call you Cherry ‘cause I like it. And as much fun as our world may sound, it comes with a price. It can be dangerous, and it’s just safer to go by a nickname than your real name.”
My heart stammers. I don’t need more danger, that’s for sure.
“Being an ol’ lady isn’t like being a wife in the normal world. Your man is gone for unexpected periods, you don’t get to know what your man is up to ‘cause club work is not to be discussed.”
“What’s so different from being a girlfriend to a brother then?” I laugh.
“Well,” Lip hesitates, “When a woman is claimed by a Devil, she is his property. There is no escaping him. She is his until he releases her.”
My lips part in shock. Holy shit. But my chest tingles from the idea, too. To have that kind of security and affection from someone, it’s not something you see in the world anymore. I kind of like it.