Ridley

It had been over a month since I’d come to the compound seeking refuge. I’d found so much more. Way more, I thought as I looked at the little stick on the bathroom counter. In all the weeks we’d been together, not once had Venom talked to me about kids. I’d known that if he kept taking me without protection that sooner or later I’d end up pregnant. I just wasn’t certain if that had been his plan all along, or if he’d thought I was on the pill. Plenty of women took them, even if they weren’t sexually active, but the hormones in them messed with my body, and my doctor had advised against them. I should have said something sooner, should have told him, but every time Venom touched me I couldn’t think, only feel.

What the fuck was I going to do?

I buried the stick at the back of the bathroom drawer and hid the box in the bottom of the trash can. I would tell him, but I wasn’t sure this was the right time. He’d been distant lately, as if something heavy weighed on his mind. It was probably just shit with the club, but I had to wonder.

Wire had turned over everything to the Feds like he’d said he would. My stepdad’s crimes had been all over the news. Everyone now knew that Richard Benton III had been a sick man who preyed on young girls, had lost his family fortune, and had tried to sell his own stepdaughter as a way of fixing the situation. My name was kept out of the latest news and the search for me had ended, and for that I was thankful. But I knew the story that Mom and my stepdad had fled the country was false, and I wondered how many people would be willing to believe it. No one mentioned my stepmonster little brother, and while he was just a kid caught in a bad situation, I wasn’t about to ask Venom to bring him here. Someone would take him in -- one of his relatives on the Benton side.

I’d seen the look on Venom’s face when he’d watched those videos. No, my mom and stepdad hadn’t fled like the news said. I might not know what really happened, but I had a feeling that if anyone went looking for Mom and Richard, they’d have to look six feet deep. Venom never mentioned it to me, and I never asked. As long as they were out of my life, I didn’t much care. The woman had been my mother, and I should have felt something, but we’d never been close, and betrayal had killed any feelings I might have once had for her. I hoped she was roasting in hell.

The news didn’t say anything about Fernando Montoya, though, and that worried me. The man had left me alone so far, and might not even know where I was hiding, but how long would that last? It frightened me, knowing that I now carried a life inside me, and that monster was still free. I knew Venom didn’t want to get involved directly, was worried about the repercussions of going after a man like Montoya, but I didn’t want to live in fear. I wanted to know that I was safe, that my baby was safe.

The door slammed downstairs, and I heard Venom’s booted steps coming up the stairs. I met him in the bedroom, trying to keep the worry from my face. He looked haggard but determined. His lips brushed across mine, and he pulled me into his arms, just holding me. There was no place I loved more than being pressed against Venom with his arms around me. I always felt safe, protected, and even loved. He’d never said the L word to me, and maybe he never would. But it was there in his eyes when he looked at me, and that was enough.

“Rough day?” I asked.

“Something like that. Just got some bad news.”

I pulled back and cupped his jaw. “Does it have to do with me?”

“You’re safe, Ridley. I’m not going to let anyone get to you.”

“It’s Montoya, isn’t it? He’s still free.”

Venom sighed and sank onto the edge of the bed. “I didn’t want to bring this shit home to you.”

“If I’m in danger, I need to know.”

“The Feds aren’t going after Montoya. Apparently, he’s a small fish in an even bigger pond, and they’re going for the top guy. No one even knew someone was pulling Montoya’s strings, and fuck if I know what to do about it all.”

“It’s been a month,” I reasoned. “Maybe he’s forgotten about me.”

His eyes were tortured as he looked at me.

“Or maybe not,” I muttered.

“Wire has been keeping tabs on that site. The Feds and the Columbians managed to get it pulled down, but Montoya started another one. You’re on there, Ridley, and it’s so much fucking worse. With Richard and your mom gone, he knows the heat coming down on him has to do with you. He uploaded all the videos. Every fucking one. And the sick things he’s posted… ” Venom closed his eyes. “Fuck!”

“What does this mean for me? For us?” I asked softly.

“The things he’s offering those men, what he said they could do to you… the bidding is in the millions, baby girl. That man isn’t going to sit back and let you slip through his fingers.”

My heart hammered in my chest. “You have to go after him, Venom. I know you’re worried about the club and the heat it could bring down on your guys, but you have to stop him. Permanently.”

“Ridley…”

I hadn’t planned to tell him like this, but I grabbed his hand and placed it over my belly.

He stared a moment, his brow furrowed, then he gazed up at me in wonder. “You’re pregnant?”

“Yeah. So it’s not just my life on the line anymore, Venom. If he finds me, he’ll probably kill your son or daughter. I love you, so damn much it hurts, and I never want anything bad to happen to you. But I need you to fight for our family.”

Venom pulled me down onto his lap and kissed me fiercely. “I fucking love you, Ridley. You’re mine, this baby is mine, and no one is ever going to hurt either one of you.”

“So what are we going to do?” I asked.

“There has to be a way to take out Montoya without the club physically getting involved. I want this shit to stay away from our doorstep. It’s no good for me to take the bastard out if it’s only going to bring more danger within reach of you.”

“Wire?” I asked.

He nodded. “Let’s go see Wire.”

When we reached the clubhouse, the place was packed. Music blasted and I could smell the sex and alcohol from outside. Seemed it was a rowdy night and I was about to see way more of the guys and the club sluts than I wanted. Venom gripped my hand and I focused on the back of his cut as we made our way back to Wire’s room. Thankfully, I only saw a bare ass or two out of the corner of my eye before I was safely behind a closed door in Wire’s sanctuary.

“You told her?” Wire asked. “What happened to keeping her in the dark while we figured this shit out?”

“She’s pregnant,” Venom said. “This shit needs to end now.”

Wire ran a hand down his face. “All right. Look, I can fuck with the man’s bank accounts, I can hack into his systems and wipe out the website, but those are just temporary things. The site will go back up, and he’ll eventually figure out someone tampered with his accounts. They’ll never find my trail, but there’s no guarantee he won’t tie the incidents to Ridley. It will just piss him off more.”

“So there’s nothing you can do?” I asked. “I just sit and wait for him to come for me?”

“No, baby girl.” Venom squeezed my hand. “How much money do we have right now?”

Wire shrugged. “Roughly, a little over a million.”

My eyes went wide. “You guys have over a million dollars?”

“Guns and drugs pay well,” Wire said. “And that’s just in the club account. Each member who helps with a job gets a cut.”

Venom growled. “She doesn’t need to know all that.”

“Venom, I never thought you were an angel. I know what the one-percent patch on your cut means. You guys are outlaws, and I’m fine with that. As long as you come home to me every night in one piece, and your jobs don’t endanger me and the baby, I don’t care how you make your money.” I frowned. “But you better not be selling those drugs to kids.”

“We don’t sell to them, but I can’t guarantee the drugs don’t end up in their hands anyway. I know you don’t like it, baby girl, but it’s just the way things are. At least we aren’t like Montoya and selling little girls. That shit’s fucked up.” Venom kissed my cheek. “Try not to worry about club business. I’ll keep you safe, and that’s all you need to worry about.”

There wasn’t much I could say to that. I’d agreed to this way of life when I’d told him to claim me, and I didn’t regret it. I might not like how the club made its money, but he was right. There were worse ways of making a dollar.

“Why did you want to know how much we had?” Wire asked.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s not enough.”

“For what?” I asked.

“I thought maybe we could put a hit on Montoya,” Venom said. “The man needs to die, even if I don’t get to pull the trigger myself.”

“But you said there’s someone bigger than him. What if that person comes after me?” I asked.

“They won’t,” Venom said. “I can’t imagine Montoya’s boss gives a shit about one woman who got away. This seems personal for Montoya. You made a fool of him by running away, and now he wants payback.”

“We don’t have money for a hit, but… ” Wire’s eyes narrowed. “We need Torch in here. There’s another way to take care of Montoya, but the club will have to do something for it, something big.”

“Wait here, baby girl,” Venom said. He released my hand and left me alone with Wire. When he came back, the President was on his heels, his pants unfastened.

My cheeks flushed, and I averted my gaze.

“This better be fucking important,” Torch said. “What couldn’t wait?”

“I know how to take out Montoya for good,” Wire said. “But the person who can handle the job is going to want something in return.”

“What’s he want?” Torch asked.

“Protection for his daughter.”

“So have him bring her here. The boys can watch over her for a bit.”

Wire shook his head. “Permanent protection.”

“What the fuck does that even mean?”

“It means that my contact has offered to help us any time we want, no job too hard or too bloody, with one condition. He wants a property patch for his daughter.”

“That fucker expects one of my guys to claim his daughter as an old lady?” Torch asked with a laugh. “He’s got some fucking balls.”

“Isabella is seventeen and away at boarding school. He’s already made arrangements for her to stay until graduation,” Wire said.

“She’s just a kid,” Torch shouted. “What the fuck, Wire? You expect one of the guys to claim a fucking kid?”

“No,” Wire said. “I expect you to.”

Torch became so still I wasn’t certain he was breathing.

“Her father has arranged for her to visit family out of the country for a little while after she graduates, but when she returns to US soil, he wants her tied to you in every way possible. This isn’t an in-name-only type deal. Shall we say he’s familiar with your background and the work you’ve done for the MC over the years, and feels you’re the best man to protect his only child.”

“My background?” Torch asked, his gaze sharpening.

“He knows about your work prior to this way of life,” Wire said. “Either you claim his daughter as your old lady, or he won’t help us. Not now, and not ever. And we could really fucking use him.”

“What’s so special about this guy and his daughter?” I asked. She was only two years younger than me, and I was Venom’s old lady and carrying his baby. It didn’t seem so farfetched to me. They might call her a kid, but in some places she was already considered an adult.

“Ever hear of Casper VanHorne?” Wire asked, his gaze on Torch.

“Fucking hell,” the President muttered. “Jesus. If Casper Fucking VanHorne is willing to do our dirty work, how the hell can I say no? The man’s the goddamn Picasso of wet work. If anyone finds out he’s on our side, no one will dare give us shit.”

I’d seen enough movies to get an idea of what wet work meant, and apparently the man was a total badass. It sounded like agreeing to his terms would be good for the club. Still, Torch looked torn.

“His daughter’s been taken a few times. Casper leaves her well-guarded, but it isn’t always enough. Men can be bought for the right price. He knows no one is getting into this compound undetected, and if they did and Isabella was yours… ” Wire shrugged. “Right now she has one badass who cares what happens to her. But as your old lady, she’d have you and every Dixie Reaper watching over her.”

“Do you have a picture of Isabella?” I asked.

Wire grinned and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through some images and pulled up a picture of a girl so damn beautiful my eyes nearly hurt just looking at her. Torch stared at the image, perhaps a little too long. With his pants still open, he couldn’t hide the erection he was sporting.

“Tell him he has a deal,” Torch said. “Fucking hell. Like I ever wanted an old lady.”

“Something tells me you might not mind that one so much,” Venom said with a smile.

Torch shook his head and stormed out of the room, the door slamming behind him. Venom chuckled, and even Wire looked amused. Something told me there was more to the story than what I knew. But if Isabella’s dad was going to take care of my problem, then I was more than happy for her to join the MC. I’d welcome her with open arms.

“She’s a good kid,” Wire said. “Quiet. A little shy. But I think she’ll be a calming influence on Torch. Casper’s been after me for months to set the deal up, but I didn’t have a bargaining chip before now. Yeah, it would have been awesome to have him on our side, but something told me your girl being in trouble would be the push Torch needed.”

“So it’s over?” I asked.

Wire nodded. “It’s as good as done. I’ll place the call as soon as you leave, and Montoya will be out of the picture by tomorrow night.”

“Come on, baby girl. Time to head home,” Venom said.

Impulsively, I hugged Wire, which made Venom growl. My sexy biker pulled me closer, glared at his brother, then dragged me out of the clubhouse. I saw Torch in the corner of the room, throwing back shots. Poor man. He probably thought his life was over, having to claim Isabella, but I had a feeling that things were just beginning for him.

When we stepped out onto the porch, Venom pushed me against the side of the building and kissed me long and deep. I clutched at his cut as his mouth ravaged mine. Heat began curling through my body, and my pussy ached to be filled. Coming to the Dixie Reapers had been the best decision I’d ever made. I’d come to find my dad, and safety from the outside world, but had gotten everything I’d ever wanted.

“I love you, Venom,” I whispered against his lips.

“Love you too, baby girl. And I’m going to show you how much all night long.”

I smiled up at him and let him lead me over to his bike. If Venom promised to keep me up all night, I knew he meant it. The man was insatiable, and I fucking loved it. I hoped the passion we felt for one another would never die.

My hand splayed over my still flat belly. Even though it was way too soon to tell, I had a feeling we were having a daughter. I didn’t know what she’d look like, but I knew I would love her with all my heart. It was my fondest wish that our child would one day find the love I’d found with Venom. Nothing beat being owned by a sexy as fuck biker with a possessive gleam in his eyes.

And if we had a boy… well, if he was anything like his daddy, there would be broken hearts all over.