Jackson
“DO IT AGAIN!” I yell from where I stand on the practice field. Muldoon is fucking up and the rest of the secondary is following the bastard’s lead.
As they line up to run the play again, I shake my head, knowing that there is going to be an off sides penalty called but let it play out.
It’s been two days, two long ass days, since I was inside my girl, and I have yet to hear one word from her. Blowing my whistle, I decide to call it a day. “Y’all are wasting my time! Practice is over. Give me two miles and two hours in the weight room.”
The groans and mumbles are fodder to my misery and only stoke my anger. Fuck this shit.
Claire is on campus today and if she doesn’t come to me, I’m going to her. I’m done playing this patty cake shit with her.
My name being called from behind stirs my anger more. Fucking Muldoon. Bastard is too fucking good looking, too young, and too cocky for his own good.
Turning to face the fucker, I’m seething, and it’s written all over my face.
Coming to a halt with his hands up in surrender, Ian comes toward me. “What the fuck do you want?” I snarl.
“Jack. I need to talk to you. Can I stop by your office before I head out?”
“Whatever.” I stomp away, not caring who sees my tantrum.
I’m a man on mission and head straight for my woman. But she isn’t in her office, the weight room, or the cafeteria.
Unable to find Claire has me on the verge of losing my fucking mind. After we spoke, and Claire told me about what Sasha is up to, I couldn’t help but shake the niggling feeling that Brad was behind all of my girl’s upheaval. So, when I went home to pick up Legs that morning, I reverted back to what I know. My computers. And there was nothing out of the ordinary. Other than Sash coming out of Jerry Reece’s office. But I know that the fucker is up to something. I just don’t know what. Which only pisses me off more.
Doing my best to calm down isn’t working. I need Claire like the desert needs rain. And this hiding from me bullshit stops here and now. Making my way back to my office to shower and change, I run into Ben. With a nod in acknowledgement, I keep going.
I storm into my office and slam the door, and scream internally. Enough is enough, Claire has to stop pushing me away. I’ve reached my breaking point here.
A knock on my door has me cursing and swinging it open. “What?” I snarl as the door hits the wall.
Not offended by my shitty welcoming in the least, Ben strolls past me and makes himself comfortable on the couch in my office. Praying for patience, because this man does not deserve my ire, I throw my head back and look up for said patience.
“See, Jack, I’m not much of a talker. Never have been. I leave the chattering to the women in my life. And chattering they have been doing. I observe everything. Like to get the layout of the field so to say. And right now, you are third and long.” Readjusting himself, Ben plants both feet on the floor. Rolls his head like a boxer about to fight and continues, “Jack, I like you. I do. But my wife is up in arms. And that just doesn’t happen. Suzie is under the impression that you have hurt Claire, and as much as I abhor getting involved, I feel the need to now.” Getting to his feet, Ben stands eye level with me. He is slightly slimmer and has the mind of a chess master and I know I’m in trouble if he has sought me out.
“See, Suz worships Claire. She is what Suzie strives to be.” My look of shock has him correcting himself. “I don’t mean the single mom. I mean the devoted mother that sacrifices her own life for those she loves.” Shaking his head as though he can’t believe that he has found himself in this situation, Ben continues, “I told you that if you hurt Claire, you hurt our girls. That’s unacceptable. Everyone thinks it’s Zoey that is the heart of this motley crew, but they’re wrong. It’s Claire. She’s the pied piper and our girls follow blindly.”
Ben sighs as he sits back down. “Let me put it in terms that you’d understand. She’s the momma ladybug and Zoey, Suz, and Sasha are her babies.”
“What the fuck are you talking about, Ben?”
“I know, Jack. I know what happened all those years ago to Claire. I know how you got caught up in the aftermath and how you got back here to the team. I also know that Mac made sure you finally got your shot. I know this, because I’m the one that made it happen”
My face must look as shocked as I feel because Ben continues, “See, when Jami died, something within the old man woke up. He realized how much they fucked up Claire and Zoey and was determined to fix it.”
I slam the open door shut, and yell, “What the fuck, Ben!”
“You forget that I’ve been here for years and I’ve known Mac since college. I’m the keeper of the letters, Jack. I’m the one making his wrongs right.” Leaning forward onto his thighs, Ben shakes his head and pushes upward. “I didn’t ask for this. But he was my coach and I loved the man. I promised him that I’d make sure his girls were happy. Well Claire isn’t happy and you need to fix it.” Ben looks me in the eye. “This is my only warning, Jack.” With that said, Ben walks past me and out the door.
I’ve just gotten out of the shower and have pulled my pants up when there is a knock on my office door. Not sure that I can handle another visit, I walk over and open the door.
“COACH.”
“Muldoon, I’m not in the mood for you right now.”
Ignoring me, the fucker walks in and plops down on my couch, making himself comfortable.
What. The. Fuck?
“I need to talk to you, Coach, and it can’t wait.”
Closing the door, I grab the shirt hanging on the back of it and tug it over my head. I walk over to my desk and lean my hip on the edge and look over at the star of my defense with annoyance written all over my face.
Cluing in to my aggravation, he jumps right on in to what he is here for.
“Look, Jack…” At his error, Ian clears his throat and continues, “Coach, I’m just gonna say this outright, okay?”
“Get on with it, Ian.”
“Okay, so you know my background. My family background and their businesses. Right?”
I’m getting more and more irritated by the moment. “Christ, Muldoon, I would like to get home sometime tonight!”
“Okay, yeah, fine. I’ve been helping the Old Man out here and there at the club, and well…”
He’s fidgeting and talking himself into circles. My aggravation level is at fifteen. “Are you telling me, your coach, that you are working for the club?”
“Yes, but not really. I’m just the muscle at the front door on my off nights.” He hurries to add.
Surpassing irritation and aggravation, I shoot right in to the “are you fucking kidding me” stratosphere. Pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and index finger, I stop his rambling. “You know you are jeopardizing your fucking career with this shit, right? Part of your contract is to keep your fucking name out of the papers. Your father’s club isn’t exactly legal.”
Rising to his full height, Ian stands just short of my own six foot six, but the man is built and knows how to take care of himself. And if I was smarter, I should probably be worried about him, but I’m not. Despite who his father is, Ian Muldoon is a good man.
Mumbling a fuck it, Ian looks me in the eye and believes he is dropping a bomb on me. One I’m sure he knows can never be fixed. “Sasha is dancing at Lace.”
Plopping my ass back onto my desk and looking out toward a picture that I have hidden of my girls, I shake my head in defeat. Rubbing a hand over my heart, I think of Claire and how upset she is over Sasha dancing at Lace. A newbie to the area, like me, knows that you don’t blindly walk into the Irish Rebels MC and walk away unscathed. Even Ian can’t escape the world his father runs with an iron fist.
“She’ll never recover from that lifestyle. She wasn’t raised to be one of you.”
“I wasn’t raised to be one of us either. I’m an outsider and only allowed around because of my old man. You know this, Jack, you’ve eluded to it time and time again. I won’t let them ruin her. I promise you.”
My day, which started off shitty, just went to hell without Persephone and her magic balls to get me out.
Stripping in a regular club is not the same as stripping for a biker club. Looking at the determination in Muldoon’s eyes, I know Sasha will not come to any harm. My only concern is if my fifteen million dollar a year free safety will still be around when this is all over.